


Trials of a Medic Displaced in Time

by Hien



Series: Shadows and Fangs [3]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Family, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-31
Updated: 2017-05-19
Packaged: 2018-10-13 09:58:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 39,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10511457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hien/pseuds/Hien
Summary: ...And the consequent observations and headaches one can draw from such an ordeal - or, the one where Shikadai really wishes he hadn't gotten out of bed that morning, if he could actually remember said morning.Time travel sounded so much better in fiction.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Here it is - the third and final installment of my 'Shadows and Fangs' series, focusing a lot more on grown-up (medic!) Shikadai!  
> It's encouraged but not necessary to have read the previous installments - a few references may be made here and there, but the only point worth noting is that in this universe, Shikadai is actually Shikamaru and Kiba's son, with Hana being his biological mother.  
> And, time travel, because I always thought to myself that I should do that one day so...there it is. Enjoy!

* * *

**Prologue**

* * *

Shikadai groaned in pain as he made himself stand up with much more difficulty than should be warranted. Not only that, but his body hurt way more than it was supposed to, every muscle and joint ached as though he’d just stormed through a full-blown survival training course – something he really didn’t remember doing, and he’d remember that, right? His surroundings _looked_ the same, but something was definitely off.

Torrential rain poured down when there hadn’t been a cloud in sight just a few minutes before, and that was just the start, but he was snapped out of his thoughts as someone made themselves known, and he tensed at this – who could be loitering around such a recluse place? Nobody ever did, that was precisely the point!

Eyes narrowing to get a better look at his visitor, he stood on guard. “Who goes there? You’re on restricted Nara clan grounds!” he called confidently, trying and failing to catch a decent scent as the rain made it near impossible. The intruder stepped closer and he noticed the Nara crest on his sleeve as well as the trademark hair so he relaxed marginally, opening his mouth to introduce himself but letting out another groan instead as his vision turned black and he fell to the ground into a freezing puddle of mud.

The last thing to go through his mind before he passed out was that the mystery person was a jerk for letting him take a dive like that.

* * *

When he next came to, he only felt the slightest bit better, in the sense that the pain had downgraded from overbearing ache to dull throb – gotta take what you get, right? Sitting up with a start, he exhaled in relief as he recognized their guest-room – momentarily not even wondering why he wasn’t in his own room. It smelled wrong though. His nose worked just fine now and it. Smelled. _Wrong_.

Patting around himself with his hands until he found his forehead protector, he pressed the fabric to his nose and breathed in deeply, finally relaxing as he let it calm him. He looked around the room for more clues and his eyes stopped on his covers; since when did they have that old-fashioned bedspread anyway? It looked like something Yoshino would buy! His parents would never use it, even just in make-believe to placate her when she visited.

“You’re awake. Good,” the man from before said summarily from the door-sill.

Shikadai looked up at him and promptly paused and frowned. He knew that face. Not personally, but he’d seen pictures, he’d heard stories—yet this was impossible. He opened his mouth to question him but someone else interrupted, leaning a head in and lazily taking him in.

“Is this the idiot who wandered where he wasn’t supposed to? How troublesome.”

Shikadai’s eyes widened and he tentatively pulled his protector back to take a sniff, promptly stuffing his face back into it. “You smell wrong. _Wrong._ Everything about this place does!” he accused before he could stop himself.

Following that embarrassing outburst, he briefly experienced what he believed to be a panic attack – that thing where his body forgot how to breathe, so yeah…annoying. And then that day further proceeded to be the worst of his life as he fainted again.

* * *

When he opened his eyes for the third time, somehow the optimist in him wasn’t gone yet, and he hoped against hope that this stupid nightmare would be just that – something he’d tell his friends with a frown to make them laugh and cringe. Yeah. Life didn’t give you what you wanted all that often, in the end, so he really should’ve known better.

He spent what felt like the next hour trying to dispel genjutsu, figuring what else could it be? All he managed to do was exhaust himself to the point of losing consciousness once more, and when he woke up, he was forced to admit defeat.

Because he was still in his house’s guestroom and it _still_ had that dreadful bedspread. But he wasn’t alone, and he sat up with a start at the familiar smell – _smells_. Hana had her back turned to him, but the Haimaru triplets cocked their heads at him curiously and he swallowed a lump at the back of his throat, heart pounding in his chest as their master turned around.

“You’re awake – I hope for good this time,” Hana noted with her usual grin as she moved closer to place a palm on his forehead – and he kept himself from flushing or leaning into her touch, because she’d always taken care of him and it felt comforting.

But he’d never known her so _young_. “What’s the date?” he rasped out, not as blandly as he’d aimed.

“November 6th,” she replied summarily, pulling back from him with a satisfied hum. “Your system seems to have stabilized – although I’m still baffled as to how it got so ruffled in the first place. It’s as if you just put your body through an extremely strenuous course – is that what happened?” she asked, tone half-casual, her typical doctor persona.

Shikadai shook his head, frowning as the movement actually hurt him, and he didn’t fight her when she moved to press a glass of water to his lips. “I honestly wish I could tell you what happened to me, I mean it,” he replied tiredly once she set the water down. “I can’t remember a thing…”

And that part wasn’t a lie, she sensed as much and nodded once.

“Well, let’s start with a name?” Hana asked with a raised eyebrow. “Shikaku called me because you talked about smells being wrong before you passed out the last time, but I don’t see signs on your body that you’re an Inuzuka – and yet you do have that scent of nin-dog about you,” she noted shrewdly.

He opened his mouth to reply and then thought better of it. A lot of things were wrong here, and he had a feeling that he was barely connecting the dots, and until he knew for sure, he should refrain from giving out too much information – after all, it still wasn’t completely out of the question that this could be a powerful genjutsu. “My father has a nin-dog. He married into another clan though—but he taught me how to use my nose,” he replied evasively.

“No names, huh?” Hana quipped, more amused than annoyed.

Well, he couldn’t really say it…not entirely. “Dai,” he replied instead – and after all, his family and closest friends all called him that, more often than not, so it wasn’t a lie at all, just a little…summary.

“Well then, nice to meet you Dai, I’m Hana of the Inuzuka clan and these are my nin-dogs, the Haimaru triplets,” she said brightly as she shrugged her head towards the dogs who barked a greeting. She then moved her eyes to rest them on his forehead protector where it lay on his pillow. “Well, at least you’re from Konoha – the smell on it is too strong for it to be recent,” she commented neutrally.

He followed her gaze and nodded. It wasn’t the one he’d received from the Academy upon graduating, but it was true that he’d had it for a few years. He didn’t admit to it freely but it was Kiba’s – his father wore the _shinobi_ protector that all members of the Allied division carried after all, so he didn’t need his leaf one, and he’d pretended not to notice when Shikadai had ‘mistakenly’ taken it years back. Wordlessly, he reached to tie it back around his neck and burrowed his nose into it.

“Am I well enough to leave?” he asked her in a half-muffled voice. He didn’t _feel_ all that great actually, but he couldn’t stay in this house – _their_ house – when it smelled so wrong.

Hana eyed him carefully, unblinking as she tried to figure him out and gauge his state. “I won’t force you to stay – neither will our host, I’m sure. You don’t really _look_ well enough, but the smell of this place obviously bothers you, and I know how that feels,” she tempered as she stood up and unrolled her sleeves. “I assume you have a place to stay? Otherwise I’ll set you up at the clinic.”

“I have a place,” he replied automatically, truly grateful, barely holding back with calling her ‘Aunt Hana’. However at her raised eyebrow he caved and looked down. “Not really…” he admitted. Hana’s Raised Eyebrow was about the most powerful technique in Konoha, and he’d always been weak to it.

“Thought so,” Hana huffed, her nin-dogs mirroring her in amusement. “The clinic it is, then! That way you can also shower and put on some clean clothes,” she noted half-critically, wrinkling her nose at his muddy appearance.

Shikadai had the decency to feel embarrassed as he realized what a sorry state he was likely in. Looking about for his remaining clothes, his insides tensed as he thought about his jacket – Inuzuka in make, but with the Nara crest, a present for his promotion to chuunin a few years back – and he let out a breath in relief as he spotted it on a chair to the side, quickly going over. He chuckled as he saw that at least some luck was on his side since the mud had completely covered the clan sign, so he shrugged it on.

“I’m ready,” he told Hana summarily, wanting to go before his head started turning again.

Hana chuckled playfully at his enthusiasm and opened the door to walk into the hall, her triplets following her closely. “Shikaku?” she called clearly.

“He left,” a bored voice replied from the porch.

Shikadai tensed as he heard him, pressing his nose to his protector again as he looked at his – _young_ – father playing shogi on his own.

“Okay. Let him know I’m taking Dai to the clinic, okay? And tell him thanks for calling me,” Hana told him with a grin.

Apparently even this jerky and sullen Shikamaru couldn’t _not_ grin back at her; first good point in his favor. “He’s one of yours then?” he asked her with a raised eyebrow.

 _More than you know_ , Shikadai thought to himself.

Hana just waved a hand about. “It’s a long story. Let’s settle for ‘distant relative’,” she dismissed.

Shikamaru only raised an eyebrow at this. “Well, make sure your ‘distant relative’ knows to stay away from deep Nara clan grounds,” he drawled easily as he moved another piece on the board.

“I’m right _here_ ,” Shikadai muttered with a frown – yeah, that disinterest was his father all over. “And you should’ve moved the rook two squares left,” he couldn’t help but add, looking away at the other’s raised eyebrow. Hana nudged his shoulder at this point and he let her lead him away.

Although he looked to be holding himself together, much of it was bravado and the medic realized it, so she took it slow on the way to the clinic. Once there, she set him up in a ward, dropped a bundled up uniform into his arms and pushed him towards a bathroom.

“I’m clocking out for tonight, but if you need anything, you can find me on the Inuzuka clan grounds,” she told him with a last pat on the back.

Shikadai nodded back, barely remembering himself and thanking her, and then once he was alone he let out a deep breath. He felt much better after that shower, and he actually felt strong enough to proceed to his own medical examination – naturally, he trusted Hana, she’d taught _him_ after all, but still, he knew his body best.

Closing his eyes, he manipulated his chakra to prod and inspect his body, finding that indeed there was nothing wrong with him, and yet his muscles and system were sore as they tended to be after a great effort. Letting out a groan, he figured that at least he _did_ learn something new!

Apparently time-travel was a marathon on your body.

* * *

 


	2. Chapter 1

* * *

**Chapter 1**

* * *

Shikadai didn’t get much rest that night, and in the morning, he wasn’t looking forward to being interrogated, so when he saw the sun poke out from behind the blinds, he got up and dressed with the uniform Hana had given him. He found a standard issue small backpack in the closet and stuffed his own clothes into it, once more fastening his protector around his neck before he was set to go and left.

He’d had some money stuffed into his pockets – hidden, really, because after years with Chocho he knew how easily snack money could disappear – and while some notes had changed, a couple of them as well as the coins remained the same, so he could use them. His heart suddenly felt heavy at this thought, because of course, if he was right, and this was the past, then…Chocho and Inojin, his best friends, wouldn’t be there – he couldn’t turn to them.

There wasn’t anyone he could actually turn to, when it came down to it. His parents were nowhere near in a position to believe him, his teacher was just a child, his friends weren’t born yet…

Forcing himself to snap out of his funk, he made his way to a familiar restaurant on the outskirts of town, sighing in relief as apparently it was already owned by the same family back then – back _now_? Placing the same order as usual, he actually let out a moan when he found that it tasted the same, and suddenly he understood Chocho with a fervor the likes of which he’d never known before.

He’d managed to grab a newspaper too and he frowned as he did his best to remember history classes, but those had usually been his choice lessons to sleep through – despite his poor uncle Shino’s best efforts to keep him entertained. Big dates were okay though – at least he knew the years, if not the exact day. It was pretty obvious by simply looking around the village, but at least he got another confirmation: Akatsuki’s big attack on Konoha hadn’t happened yet, although from what he remembered it wouldn’t be too long either – and that was _not_ something he wanted to live through, even though any extra medic would likely  be welcome.

He figured the only place he could get more information was the archives, but that posed another problem, because to get in you had to give a shinobi identification number, and his wouldn’t even exist for over twenty years! He wasn’t skilled enough in genjutsu to try and cheat his way in, and he really wished he knew Inojin’s techniques more than ever.

Maybe if he hadn’t cut his hair, he could’ve pretended to be Shikamaru – after all, they looked somewhat alike (except for their eyes), were apparently the same age ( _creepy_ ), and he knew his registration number. Letting out another groan, he absently kept turning the pages of the newspaper, eyes darting from picture to picture until they stopped on a particular one and the caption underneath it.

_The Fifth Hokage, Lady Tsunade, joined by the Jounin Commander, Shikaku Nara, in an educative visit at the Shinobi Academy._

Shikaku Nara. His grandfather. Alive. And well. Well, he’d met him last night but…yeah.

Everyone had always said of Shikaku that he was smart – brilliant, even more than his son, although Shikadai doubted that, even if he’d never admit it. And the fact of the matter was that he needed help. His small hidden snack money stock wouldn’t last him long, and beyond food and lodgings he needed help to access the archives and research a way to return to his own time.

Besides, since the man had died in the war, by interacting with him he wasn’t really taking many risks to change the future, right? Naturally, he’d just need to refrain from telling him he was dead.

And he chuckled at this, because, yeah, really, there was no chance he would end the conversation with, “Oh, and by the way, you’re dead when I come from, so it’s nice to actually meet you!”

Ha-ha. Right.

Although… “Hi, I’m your grandson from 27 years in the future and I need your help to return to my time!” wouldn’t necessarily be much better. Who’d believe such a story?

Heck, he barely believed it himself and he was _in it_!

But…his grandfather had been really close friends with Inojin’s grandfather, who was a legend of his own among the sensor ranks in every village. Reading his memory to prove he was telling the truth would be child’s play to him. Even Inojin managed that pretty easily now – with a willing participant.

Mind made up, he left and made his way to the Hokage’s building, walking past the various booths and stairs to go towards the jounin quarters, relieved that it was in the same place. Once there, he once more pressed his nose into his protector to give himself a boost, and then knocked before walking in.

“Can I help you?” a shinobi asked him neutrally but with the tone and body language of someone who didn’t really want to be helpful.

“I’m looking for Shikaku Nara,” he replied dully, trying not to look or sound too impatient so as not to have to reply to any questions.

“His office is in the back,” non-helpful-man replied as he returned to his task – glaring holes into a report, apparently.

Shikadai nodded his thanks – for the principle, as his parents had always insisted – and walked towards the afore-mentioned door, trying not to tense so much as he heard the voice beckoning him in after he’d knocked. The commander was alone as he walked in, and looked up curiously before offering him a teasing smirk.

“You’re not going to faint on me again, are you? Because if that’s the case I’d rather you sit down right away,” Shikaku drawled easily as he gestured for him to walk closer.

Shikadai resisted the urge to roll his eyes and closed the door before effectively sitting down. “Thank you for yesterday,” he started, telling himself he wasn’t stalling but still unsure how to actually breach the subject.

“Of course. It’s my duty to assist someone in need on my clan grounds – even when I wonder what that person was doing there in the first place,” the Nara patriarch noted with a raised eyebrow, questioning but not demanding – yet.

“I don’t know how I got there,” Shikadai started honestly, figuring that was as good a place as any. “And I was actually hoping that you’d be able to help me find that out.”

“How so?” the scarred man wondered as he leaned forward on an elbow.

“Your friend Inoichi could scan my memories.” Shikadai’s eyes darted to the side at this, and he let out a sigh as he figured he should just get it over and done with. “I’m not from here—well, no, that’s not correct. I’m from _here_ , I’m just not from _now_.”

What the—? That didn’t even make sense to him, how was it supposed to make sense to someone else! If ever there was a time to be loquacious, that time was now!

“I’m afraid I’m not following you,” Shikaku noted, looking torn between dismissing him, listening, and calling Hana or another medic over once again.

“My name is Shikadai Nara,” he finally said. “I’m your grandson. From 27 years into the future.”

This had the merit of giving the jounin commander pause, and when someone knocked at the door he promptly told them to come back later. “Can you offer any proof?” he asked calmly. “Besides a shinobi ID tag that could have easily been falsified,” he added as he saw him reach for the identification tags around his neck – that he’d already noticed last night and he knew made no sense. Additionally, a preliminary research this morning had yielded no results, so he really didn’t know what to make of him.

Shikadai frowned, wondering how to go about _that_ now that his initial plan had been shot down. “I _could_ tell you about future events – big ones – but you’d need to wait to verify them. That’s why I suggested Inoichi – one of my best friends is his grandson, so I know how their abilities work.” He paused as he looked up, bringing his hands together slowly so the other wouldn’t think he was planning an attack, and then made his shadow split and spike up. “This is about all I can do to prove I’m from the Nara clan…”

Shikaku’s eyes narrowed in thoughts as he took him in, trying to wrap his mind around this. “If what you’re saying is true…why are you coming to me? And not your parents?” he wondered.

Shikadai actually snorted at that. “Yeah, I’ve met my father, and the next time he tells me I’m too sullen and troublesome for my own good I’ll let him know about the pot calling the kettle!” he noted, grinning as his grandfather chuckled at his words.

“And your mother?” he wondered understandably.

The time-traveler groaned at this though as he crossed his arms over his chest. Well, factually… “I don’t have a mother – I mean, sure, biologically, I do, but she’s my aunt, really.”

“Your aunt?”

“My father’s sister—my _other_ father’s sister,” Shikadai said with a shrug. “Okay, long story short, I have two fathers: Shikamaru, and Kiba Inuzuka. Hana is my biological mother because obviously my parents weren’t about to have me on their own, but she’s always been an aunt to me.”

To the point, right? That was his Inuzuka side, and he rather enjoyed it.

“ _Kiba_?” Shikaku repeated in surprise.

Shikadai’s eyes narrowed at this – he _hated_ it when _anyone_ dismissed his father. “Yes, _Kiba_. Got a problem with him? And if you’re really as smart as everyone always said, I’m sure you’ve already figured out that your son’s interested in men!”

Turning the tables and using offense as a defense was also an Inuzuka trait he’d inherited. It had gotten him in trouble once or twice – or thrice – but it was also a part of him he liked.

“Well, it explains your nose,” the commander noted, as though completely over it already. “And I wasn’t disparaging Kiba, he’s a good lad – the best tracker I’ve seen in a long time, actually.”

“He’s the best olfactory tracker in all the Shinobi Alliance,” the younger Nara stated matter-of-factly – and he’d heard it said by shinobi from several villages enough times to know it wasn’t just filial admiration talking after all. “I’m nowhere near even a third of his abilities…” he then commented despite himself. Not that he aspired to being a tracker, he was quite happy with his role as a medic-nin; but it was always humbling how many _more_ things his father smelled.

Shikaku eyed him with much interest at this, and unceremoniously made a few signs to create a clone which promptly left through the window. “My clone will bring Inoichi here,” he told him at his raised eyebrow. He then sighed as he held his look. “I _did_ gather as much you know – that Shikamaru prefers men, I mean,” he started quietly. “I figured he’d talk about it on his own when he’d feel ready – or when he’d fall in love, whichever’d come first.”

Shikadai frowned at this, not resisting the urge to huff as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Yeah, he was stupid about that for some time, but then dad—Kiba—made him realize he was being stupid and they’ve been making googly eyes at each other ever since,” he explained, smirking despite himself.

“How old are you?” Shikaku wondered as he chuckled.

“Sixteen.” Well, technically, he was 15 and 358 days, but details, details, right?

A raised eyebrow, another chuckle. “Slightly older than them right now.”

“Yeah, seems like it. I won’t be born for another eleven years though – and chronologically, they won’t be making those googly eyes for another three!” Shikadai replied with a shrug. His nose twitched and he looked to the side as he felt someone walk in. Turning his head, he blinked as yeah, he could see this was a Yamanaka, but Ino and Inojin didn’t really look like Inoichi all that much, in his opinion, despite the trademark hair – even though his friend kept his short like Sai.

“I came as soon as I could,” the Yamanaka told his friend. “What’s this about, Shikaku? Your clone was…well either it wasn’t all there or it was saying some pretty nonsensical stuff – that, or you’re just pranking me again!” he noted as he closed the door.

“Well, this is Shikadai,” Shikaku noted as he shrugged his head at the young man. “Only one way to find out, right?”

Inoichi raised an eyebrow at him, still looking doubtful, and it was interesting that he honestly thought his friend might be pranking him; it uncovered a whole new side of his grandfather no one had ever told him about – because admittedly, Shikaku Nara, Prankster Extraordinaire, sounded less awe-inspiring than Strategist and Jounin Commander of Legend.

“If this is a prank, Yoshino will find out certain things you’d rather she didn’t,” Inoichi warned him lightly before pressing a hand to Shikadai’s forehead while Shikaku grumbled under his breath that he was a horrible best friend and Chouza was so much kinder.

Shikadai simply closed his eyes and tried his best to relax, like he did when he helped Inojin practice. He could barely feel a slight pull – _very_ slight, and only because he was actively paying attention, it was much more controlled and less invasive than when his friend did it, proof of experience and mastery.

It wasn’t long before Inoichi’s eyes snapped open and he pulled his hand away, taking another step back to sit against the desk. “I’ll be damned…” he murmured as he looked into the distance.

“Show me,” Shikaku demanded as he stepped around his desk to stand next to him. The sensor immediately complied and once more pressed his palm to Shikadai’s head, while pressing his other hand to Shikaku’s.

“I have a grandson! He seems amazing!” Inoichi noted excitedly once he pulled his hands back again.

“He is,” Shikadai assured him, looking up at his grandfather anxiously, breath hitching as the man reached over to ruffle his hair. For once, he didn’t protest, even for the principle.

“I have to admit, even after you confided in us that Shikamaru might prefer men, I had my doubts; but it seems he and Kiba really pulled it off!” Inoichi noted with a warm smile, looking down at the younger Nara. “Our kids did good, Shikaku,” he noted proudly.

“Yes, they did,” the Nara agreed with a satisfied sigh. “Even without us.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I didn’t know how to say it,” Shikadai apologized, wishing he could’ve kept that part secret longer. “I’m just so…so lost! And I wonder how much I should say about anything!”

“As little as you possibly can, I’d wager,” Inoichi replied thoughtfully as he stroked his chin. “If you don’t mind, I’ll check your memories again – the really recent ones, to see how you came here.”

“Please do!”

The Yamanaka nodded and once more placed a palm on his forehead, pulling back after barely a few seconds – he was rumored to see days in minutes after all, this was nothing to him. “The problem is that you blacked out, so I can’t see anything, since _you_ didn’t. Unfortunately it’s impossible to access memories the subject himself has forgotten,” he noted as he shook his head. “What was that place you were at?”

“It’s a grave,” Shikadai replied with a frown. “Dad—Shikamaru—told me about it some time ago, but no one ever goes near it. Dad—Kiba—steers ever clearer because he says the smell is horrible – which it _is_ , incidentally,” he was forced to concede.

“But _whose_ grave?”

“A member of Akatsuki,” the medic replied as he turned to his grandfather. “He killed dad’s teacher, from what I know.”

“Hidan,” Inoichi noted, sharing a quick look with his friend. “This happened not even a week ago – Asuma Sarutobi was killed in action by the immortal Akatsuki member Hidan.”

“Shikamaru’s been training ceaselessly ever since – I suppose I’m glad to know it won’t be for nothing,” Shikaku noted, having to admit he didn’t much like his son’s current state but realized it was part of his growing process.

“But that doesn’t really tell us how I got here – or how I can get back!” Shikadai said with a deep sigh.

“Well for starters, why were you there in the first place?” Shikaku wondered with a frown.

Shikadai blinked as for some reason, the answer didn’t come right away. Looking down in thoughts, he pressed his nose into his protector again. “I was curious…and the smell…I know what death smells like, and that wasn’t it. But…there’s nothing between the moment I headed in that direction and when you found me here…” he trailed off in annoyance.

Inoichi pat his shoulder comfortingly and hummed as he turned to his friend. “There’s someone who might be able to help – he’s an expert in medical ninjutsu, and on top of it, I’m sure he won’t refuse to help given the circumstances.”

“You mean Kaoru Inuzuka?” Shikaku wondered with a raised eyebrow.

“My other grandfather?” Shikadai repeated with round eyes. He knew he’d died even before the two who stood before him, so he’d figured it was already a done deal. He had to admit, he was curious about meeting him though, even if he was never really much of a father to Kiba and Hana.

Inoichi nodded at him. “He’s in the village right now, that’s why I’m bringing it up. If he’d been on deployment, even though I could’ve contacted him we couldn’t have asked him to return without the Hokage’s backing, so that would’ve been that. But now, I can get in touch with him right away,” he offered.

“Sure,” Shikadai drawled. “I mean, I’m already completely overwhelmed here, what’s one more big reveal?” he asked half-sarcastically as he absently massaged his left shoulder and pressed his nose back into his protector.

Inoichi raised an eyebrow, shooting his friend a look that obviously said the apple didn’t fall far from the tree, and then closed his eyes to concentrate on localizing and communicating with the Anbu in question – not an easy task, as he was good at hiding himself, as expected from his rank.

“So…” Shikaku started as he turned back towards his grandson. “You’re a medic-nin?”

Shikadai shrugged, moving to his right shoulder. “I didn’t want to be anyone’s copy, and besides, I’m good at it and I like it!”

“These are all the reasons anyone ever needs,” the scarred shinobi commented in amusement.

Inoichi chuckled and opened his eyes, shaking his head. “I managed to find him. He’s at his house on the Inuzuka clan grounds. He says we can visit.”

“Do you have time?” Shikaku asked his friend with a raised eyebrow, nodding his thanks as he replied positively. “Shikadai, for now, go with Inoichi. Hopefully Kaoru will have some ideas, but in case not, come back here.  You’ll need a place to stay after all, we can arrange that then.”

“I introduced myself to Hana as Dai,” he informed them, figuring it would be smartest to keep that up. He felt exhausted, but…he had to admit he was really curious about meeting his grandfather – and maybe seeing a young Kiba as well! Shikaku nodded at him, and so he then got up and followed Inoichi out.

“So, do you mind if I ask you a few questions? I know I shouldn’t, but I can’t help it!” Inoichi admitted curiously as they left the building and headed towards the Inuzuka compound.

“Sure, it’s not like you haven’t seen much already after all,” Shikadai replied with a shrug.

“Tell me more about this Sai. I don’t know much about him, and he seems an odd fellow; does he treat my daughter right?” the protective father immediately asked.

“Well,” Shikadai drawled with a smirk. “He puts up with her verbal and sometimes physical abuse, so I’d say yeah, he’s good to her!” They were ever so funny to watch, truly.

Inoichi laughed proudly at this, puffing his chest. “That’s my Ino!” His eyes then softened as he turned back to him. “And my grandson? Is he happy?”

“Inojin? He’s more often than not more interested in making _others_ happy, but that’s his thing – I actually haven’t heard him complain about it once!” he replied truthfully – and fondly. “He’s impossible to faze, he gets that from his father, so he never lets thing get to him and explode inside, you know? It’s infuriating, but that’s also one of his biggest strengths!”

His composure was something he really admired him for, actually – even if it had on occasions made him want to strangle the life out of him, although he suspected his best friend of doing it on purpose quite often.

“That’s good to hear,” the sensor replied happily, looking down slightly. “I guess I’m lucky to have met you, even if you’re stuck where you shouldn’t be and I realize how potentially dangerous this situation could get. But thanks to you, I got to know what happiness lies in my family’s future even though I won’t be around to live it,” he admitted wistfully.

“I’m sorry,” Shikadai replied, because what else could he say to that?

Inoichi smiled back at him and he truly saw the resemblance with Ino this time.

He then looked up as they reached the familiar place, and closed his eyes as he breathed it in. To most, air that smelled of nin-dog and trees likely wouldn’t be pleasant, but to him, it smelled of _family_.

He tried telling himself that he didn’t notice the shinobi who joined up with them because he was distracted by the scents, but the truth was he simply didn’t sense him at all, and could only look up at him with a surprised blink.

“Hey Inoichi – you mentioned this was important, so I figured I’d meet you half-way,” Kaoru Inuzuka greeted them easily, absently scrutinizing the younger shinobi.

Inoichi hummed as he refrained from pointing out that it wasn’t half-way, but more along the lines of one-fifth of the way – but he digressed. “Well it’s…going to sound crazy and unbelievable, but if you’ll give us a moment, we can prove we’re telling the truth,” he started as he laid a hand on Shikadai’s shoulder and gently nudged him forward.

“Okay, you’ve got me curious – come on in. Everyone’s at work, so we shouldn’t be interrupted,” the Anbu told them as he turned and walked back towards his house.

Shikadai sighed as he followed him, slightly relieved he’d have more time before meeting Kiba as well. Once in, they sat down again, and as he searched for his words, he studied his grandfather more carefully. He’d seen pictures, but this was so different, obviously. Kiba did look like him a bit, he saw the resemblance at any rate – and Hana clearly had his eyes. He could even see why Tsume had always insisted he’d been ‘pretty’ – and he had to bite back a snicker at this, now was not the time. Inoichi nodded at him encouragingly and he once more went to the point.

“My name’s Shikadai Nara. I’m Kiba’s son – from 27 years in the future. We were hoping you might be able to help find a way to send me back.”

Kaoru’s initial reaction was to laugh out loud, following which he raised an eyebrow at them and leaned right into his space – whether he was trying to read him or creep him out, he wasn’t too sure but the creeping out was working. “Shikadai _Nara_ , huh? And Kiba had a kid? Several things ruffle me the wrong way with those claims,” he noted simply, testing him.

“Well, Hana’s my biological mother – I know you know that he likes men, so it won’t shock you to learn my other father’s Shikamaru Nara,” Shikadai defended himself with a frown.

The Anbu once more laughed and then turned to Inoichi. “And his memories back his claim?” he questioned, not doubting his abilities in the slightest.

“Yes,” the Yamanaka confirmed with a prompt nod, raising his hands. “Do you want to see?”

“I know what I want to show him,” Shikadai interrupted before he could reply, turning to the sensor with a frown. “Can you access what I’m thinking about?”

The other two seemed surprised but Inoichi nodded and once more placed a hand on his forehead and reached to place the other on Kaoru’s.

If his grandfather could only see one scene of his life, then Shikadai knew he wanted it to be a family shot. He wanted him to see his children grew up just fine; he wanted him to know they were amazing parents (despite his lack of guidance on the matter); he wanted him to know they were happy, and he wanted him to see Kao and Shisen, too. So he concentrated on the latest lunch at Tsume’s they’d all been present to, something that was always full of life and laughter and chaos and happiness.

“I knew that Aoba was a good bet,” Kaoru muttered in satisfaction as he grinned slightly, turning more serious as Inoichi showed him more, notably the last moments before he’d lost consciousness and the first time he’d woken up _here and now_ , as well.

He let out a deep sigh as he sat back, absently scratching his cheek. “I’d like to wow you both with my know-how, but unfortunately I’m as lost as you are,” he was forced to admit after a moment. “I might have a couple of doors I can knock on, so to speak, but if you have any leads, don’t hold your breath for me and keep going.”

Shikadai groaned, shoulders slumping as he’d really hoped this would be it. “My best bet’s the archives, then. Think you can help me get access? My registration number isn’t valid yet after all,” he asked them with a frown.

“That shouldn’t be difficult for Shikaku – he has the authority to issue passes,” the Yamanaka noted with a nod.

Kaoru clucked his tongue next to them, crossing his arms over his chest. “I think you should limit your contact with people outside of us as best you can though,” he commented thoughtfully, echoing the others’ sentiments on the matter. “Have you already figured out a place to stay? I could set you up here if you’d like – I’ll tell the others you’re a distant relative of mine, which isn’t exactly a lie!” he added with a barking laugh – and Shikadai idly wondered if he’d always laughed like that or if he’d eventually adopted it after spending time with the Inuzukas.

“Well, I think Shikaku intended for him to stay at the Nara house,” Inoichi started but was promptly interrupted.

“If it’s up to me I’d rather stay here,” Shikadai told them seriously. “That place smells wrong and hanging out with Yoshino would be weird anyway.”

“Well, she can be a bit forceful but she’s okay once you get used to her, I thought you’d know that…” Inoichi tempered.

Shikadai only frowned at him. “Everyone always gets which one of them I’m talking about when I say ‘dad’, but _she_ always insists on saying _your father_ and _Kiba_! In this time she’s probably nagging Shikamaru to find himself a nice girl, and I don’t want to have to listen to that,” he hissed, trying to keep his cool – she was truly the one person who could rile him up, there was nothing to it, she was the cat to his dog.

“What, is Kiba not good enough for her or something?” Kaoru growled despite himself – granted, he wasn’t father of the year, heck if there was an award for most _absent_ father he’d win it hands down, but he was proud of his kids and he respected them and their choices, all he’d ever asked was for them to be happy.

“He’s not female enough,” Shikadai snapped back. “So can I room here?” he asked again, swatting his grandfather’s hand away as he reached to ruffle his hair – seriously, what was it with middle-aged men always feeling entitled to ruffle’s someone’s hair just because they were younger?

“Of course! But just so we’re clear on our back-story, you’re a distant relative of _mine_ ; that means no shadow manipulation, got it? If anyone asks, you’re just a medic,” Kaoru warned seriously – although he did feel proud that his grandson would follow in his footsteps, so to say.

Shikadai nodded his agreement. “When I met Hana earlier I said my name was Dai.”

“Good thinking,” the Anbu praised. “Okay, for now, go back to Shikaku so he can get you settled with a badge and proper credentials, that way we won’t need to be looking over our shoulders. Be back here at seven for dinner – I’ll introduce you to everyone, so to say,” he said with a smirk.

The younger shinobi nodded and stood to follow the Yamanaka out, mind still reeling. His grandfather was just like his family had described him – reliable, when _there_ , and oddly inspiring reassurance and trust.

Inoichi for his part just sighed, feeling sad upon hearing Yoshino’s stance. From what he’d seen, there was no doubt whatsoever that Shikamaru and Kiba were happy together, and so was their son. Inwardly, he wondered if Yoshino would’ve been so averse to them if Shikaku had still been around to mellow her. He’d need to tell this to his friend. Yoshino’s lingering feelings about her son’s preference had obviously cost her some of the affection of her one grandchild, and he wished he could help fix that, in any way, even if small.

Once they relayed their meeting with Kaoru to Shikaku, the man wasted no time in arranging for the paperwork to be expedited, and Inoichi excused himself to return to his duties after leading Shikadai to a quiet break room where he’d be able to take a nap, since the exhaustion wasn’t letting up.

It was about six when Shikaku gently nudged him awake and handed him a bottle of water. “Are you feeling alright?” he asked him quietly.

Shikadai nodded back as he drank, shivering at the cool liquid but feeling better. “I don’t know why I’m so tired.”

“There’s so much we don’t know about what happened to you…” the older Nara commented absently as he frowned. “Maybe it’s a good idea for you to stay where there’s a medic.”

“ _I’m_ a medic,” Shikadai reminded him with a raised eyebrow, looking down slightly as there was something he wanted to say in case it really was a dream and he’d wake up. “This entire deal is annoying beyond words, but I’m glad I got to meet you and Kaoru,” he admitted.

Shikaku smirked softly and raised an eyebrow at him before sighing. “Inoichi…mentioned that you have a hard time with Yoshino…?”

Shikadai sighed at this as he leaned back against the couch, absently smoothing down the lines on his shirt. “How am I supposed to like her when she doesn’t really like Kiba? She gave them the house, and toned down the chillness, but she sometimes she still talks about him like he’s Shikamaru’s acquaintance, not his husband!” he told him with a frown. “I think if you’d been there, it would’ve been different,” he then said before closing his mouth as he regretted having said it like that. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that – it was uncalled for.”

It wasn’t fair to hold it against someone to have died, after all.

“Don’t apologize. You’re probably right, and _I’m_ sorry,” Shikaku told him seriously. “I know Yoshino can be a little…bull-headed, but she’s extremely generous at heart.”

“To the people she approves of, yeah,” the younger Nara muttered.

“You seem really close to Kiba,” his grandfather noted in amusement instead, seeing he wasn’t going to change his mind. “Your jacket is near identical to his, and I’ve noticed you bury your nose in your protector a lot when you’re stressed.”

Shikadai nodded as he looked down, feeling self-conscious. “The jacket’s a present, because I kept stealing his – the protector _is_ his though,” he admitted. “I think he’s the strongest person I know. He wasn’t much known and famous in Konoha, so _he_ dealt with all the fallouts of being with a man. He made a name for himself in Suna but he gave it up for dad, for his career. Then, he was the one to marry into the Nara clan, even though he wasn’t really welcome, just tolerated because they didn’t want to risk seeing their famed genius marry into another clan. And then…of course, with Hana having their kid it was perfect, the only way to actually have me be related to the both of them but…biologically, he’s my _uncle_.”

His breath hitched at this, because he remembered the one and only time he’d told him that as a child, when he was nine, in the heat of a stupid argument, and he’d never forgiven himself for those words. “And he couldn’t train me with his techniques, he could only teach me to use my nose, to a certain extent. But still he’s always smiling – he’s always there for me, with his stupid grin and I…I wish I’d _told_ him that!”

“I’m sure he knows,” Shikaku noted reassuringly as he gently pat his shoulder. “Parents know these sorts of things. We were once young and harsh to our own parents, you know?” he added in a half-joking tone, smiling back at his grandson’s small grin. “What about Shikamaru? Is he a good father? I think I…might’ve been a bit absent on him…” he wondered with a frown. Granted, compared to the likes of Kaoru he was _over_ -present, but still…

“Of course he is – and he’s not absent at all!” Shikadai replied matter-of-factly. “He’s not as affectionate as Kiba, so I know a lot of people think he’s more distant, but that’s not it. I told you he used to be stupid about wanting to deny his feelings for men before, he was even just thinking of finding himself a wife to make everyone happy. He told me once he’d honestly never thought he’d have a truly content marriage, and he sometimes still can’t believe how happy he is.” He frowned at this before mumbling something else. “I see it sometimes when he looks at me – like I’m the living incarnation of everything he’s ever dreamed of.”

“You likely _are_ ,” Shikaku said knowingly. He then sighed as he thought about something else. “You know…I thought about it, and…I figured, maybe if I talked to him, reassured him that being attracted to men wasn’t an issue, I could use the few months I have left to ease Yoshino into that mindset…that way maybe she won’t be so hard on your father in the future,” he commented thoughtfully.

Shikadai’s eyes widened, and despite himself his lips stretched in a wide grin at his use of the word ‘father’ when referring to Kiba, and he nodded at him.

His grandfather smiled at him and for the first time he really saw his father in him. He then cleared his throat and handed him a new pass. “There, no need to skulk around anymore. You can access the archives tomorrow.”

“Dai Itoda, huh?” he noted with a raised eyebrow. Kaoru’s birth clan, he knew – distant relatives to keep appearances, right? He then looked down at the new backpack that was on the ground. A closer inspection revealed clothes and toiletries – the standard issues, but that was more than enough. “Thanks, grandpa,” he said before he could stop himself.

“Heh. Being called that’s not so bad,” Shikaku conceded with a warm grin, lightly clapping his shoulder and briefly squeezing it before letting go. “You should get going.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” Shikadai asked him needlessly.

“You will.”

Shikadai nodded back at him and then left, slowly making his way to the Inuzuka household. He’d always loved visiting the clan grounds. Tsume was an amazing grandmother, loud and exuberant, even more than her son, and she was always willing to humor him and his cousins.

Usually, whenever he got within sight of the house, Kao or Shisen (or something both of them) would be there, perched atop their nin-dog and waiting for him with that teasing grin.

The person who greeted him in said position wasn’t one he was thinking about though, and the surprise caused him to stop in his steps, because he thought he’d been ready, but he visibly wasn’t.

Kiba’s grin was entirely identical 27 years into the past.

“You must be Dai – dad said you’d be rooming here for some time. I’m Kiba by the way,” the shinobi needlessly introduced himself. “And this is Akamaru.”

The nin-dog barked his greeting and Shikadai found himself letting out a sigh in relief, because _finally_ , someone had a halfway decent smell! Nin-dogs’ scents didn’t change as much as humans, so this Akamaru smelled really close to _his_ Akamaru, and it reassured him more than he’d like to admit.

But not as much as his father’s warm grin, that same eternal grin. “Nice to meet you,” he forced himself to say so as not to be catalogued as ‘the strange and silent guy’.

Kiba’s grin widened – a feat that always seemed impossible, no matter how much he was used to it – before he motioned for him to follow him. “He’s here!” he hollered loudly as he walked into the house.

“Good, we’re almost done here!” Tsume yelled back, sounding quite satisfied with herself.

“I’m glad to see you’re feeling better,” Hana noted as they entered the living room. “Dad mentioned you’re also a medic – you’ll know to take it easy then, right?” she asked in that authoritative tone she’d perfected long ago, the one where she kindly ordered you to do something, please-and-thank-you-or-else.

He could only nod back docilely.

“I hope you’re hungry,” Kaoru commented as he set a few dishes on the table, expertly navigating around the nin-dogs crowding him. “Let’s get you settled, and then it’s time to eat!”

Shikadai nodded back and followed him to the guest room, setting his bags down and making a quick stop in the bathroom before going back to the living room to find Hana had grabbed Kiba in a headlock and was dragging him to the table as he half-heartedly tried to get out of her grasp. This, at the very least, was a familiar scene, and he found himself smiling earnestly.

This didn’t go unnoticed by Tsume. “Don’t pay them any mind, they’re peas in a pod!” she assured him boastfully. “I’m Tsume, nice to meet you,” she then said as he clapped his back in lieu of shaking his hand.

He’d been expecting it, so he didn’t cough his lungs out and merely grinned back at her. “Pleasure to meet you too, and thank you for having me.”

“Psh, what’s one more mouth?” she dismissed automatically as she walked to the table, patting Kuromaru on the way and smirking at her husband as he kissed her before sitting down – wow, and he thought _his_ parents made bedroom eyes at each other…!

He wordlessly followed and dinner was a cinch, because he was used to it, to the loudness, to having to yell louder than the others to be heard, to fighting both people and nin-dogs for food, and he even made sure to save his celery sticks for Akamaru.

“How d’you know he likes these?” Kiba wondered in amusement as he looked at them.

Shikadai flushed at his mistake, but managed to downplay it with a shrug. “I noticed he eyed them pretty closely, is all…” His grandfather raised an eyebrow at him at this, but looked away with a chuckle after he scowled at him.

The rest of the evening was a blur, but it felt like home – only his other father was missing…and his uncle and cousins, he figured. The next morning, he actually slept in, and further embarrassed himself when he was shaken awake.

“Five more minutes, Dad!” he mumbled as he buried his face back into his pillow.

“Oh, take as much time as you need, _son_!” Kiba said back brightly, amusement evident in his voice.

Shikadai’s eyes snapped open and he sat up at this, frowning in mortification. “Sorry…”

Kiba shrugged off his apology and stretched his arms behind his back. “Dad had to go, but he told me to tell you ‘you know what to do’!” he relayed as Akamaru stepped closer to their guest to ask to be pet.

Shikadai obliged, nodding his thanks at the other shinobi. “Did he say when he’d be back?”

Kiba shook his head. “He added to report to Shikaku.”

“Okay…” the medic replied with a sigh, blinking as he looked up at the other’s uncharacteristically serious face. “What is it?” he asked uncomfortably.

“There’s just…something about you…” Kiba replied slowly, as though trying to figure it out on the spot. “And not just the way you look or how you act; your scent, too…it’s like…I _know_ you—or I’m _supposed_ to,” he trailed off at this, chuckling. “I guess I’m not making much sense to you, am I?”

Shikadai shook his head at that. “No, you are – I know what scents are like when you can really smell them.” Yes, good plan: change the subject, carry the conversation away. Because he knew better than anyone how good his father’s observation skills really were and he felt that if given a chance to study him long enough, Kiba would figure him out eventually.

“You can use your nose?” Kiba wondered with a raised eyebrow.

“My father taught me,” Shikadai replied with a proud smirk before silently berating himself for getting carried away. “I know that when things smell wrong, it’s impossible to go on like normal,” he added nonetheless.

“Tell me about it!” the Inuzuka muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. “A lot of people don’t get the infinite range of things scents can tell – they just look at us funny.”

“Tell me about it!” the young Nara echoed, and they shared a grin at this before he cleared his throat and looked down at himself. “Well then…I guess I’d better get ready and get started!” Kiba indulged him and left to see to his own affairs. After getting dressed, Shikadai stopped by work to grab something to eat, and then made his way to the archives, determined to find something of use.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Team Grandpa to the rescue!!!


	3. Chapter 2

* * *

**Chapter 2**

* * *

He should’ve known it wouldn’t be that easy. He didn’t find anything on that day. Nor the following day. Or the one after it. He was even starting to resign himself to the possibility that he might never go back home after all. Maybe accepting it now rather than denying it longer would be easier on him down the road.

Although…despite his hopes, he’d never _really_ expected there to be a document miraculously describing what was happening to him and conveniently explaining how to fix it.

If only.

Sighing, Shikadai slumped down on a bench and pressed his nose into his protector, wondering if time went on the same way in _his_ time, if he’d been gone for three days too, as far as his family and friends were concerned. No doubt they were worried about him if that was the case, he was sure his Kiba was exhausting himself trying to track down his scent, maybe even blaming himself for not finding him, while his Shikamaru used every resource at his disposal, called onto every friend he had across the Alliance. He squeezed his eyes shut at this, only snapping out when he heard a familiar voice.

“What’s with that face? You don’t look so good,” Kiba informed him as he pat his shoulder amicably.

“It’s a long story,” Shikadai’s muffled voice replied before his nose twitched as he sensed another familiar scent. Looking up, he frowned as he saw just who was walking down the street.

Kiba followed his look and called to him. “Hey, Shikamaru!”

The Nara paused mid-stride and turned to him with a bored expression, eyes trailing to Shikadai before he let out a sigh. “Hey. So the trespassing chain-fainter’s related to you in the end?” he drawled.

Shikadai opened his mouth to give him a piece of his mind but Kiba laughed it off. “Well, he’s a distant relative of my father’s, so yeah, in a sense I guess we’re related!” he tempered, winking at Shikadai who, to his horror, couldn’t help but grin the slightest bit. “How’ve you been holding up?” he then asked his friend more seriously.

“How’s Kurenai?” Shikamaru asked back with a frown, shrugging as he shook his head. “Well, there’s your answer.”

Kiba sighed at this, looking more sympathetic  than annoyed despite the dismissive tone. “You’re not supposed to shoulder that on your own though – Hinata, Shino and I visit her a lot, so I’ve seen Chouji and Ino, and they’re worried about you. You should talk to them.”

“Don’t talk to me like you’re an expert on loss, Kiba. You have no idea what I’m going through,” Shikamaru dismissed him tiredly.

Shikadai’s eyes narrowed at this as he immediately stood to be at his level. “Don’t talk to him like that!” he warned before black spots appeared at the corners of his vision and Kiba caught his elbow to help him sit back down.

He still wasn’t a 100% there yet physically, obviously, and spending days on end hunched over scrolls didn’t do wonders for his health – plus, he really shouldn’t have stood so quickly. “I’m okay,” he insisted as Akamaru whined and licked his cheek.

Shikamaru eyed them with a frown, curious despite himself, but then sighed as he didn’t want to get involved further – it would undoubtedly turn out to be too troublesome, and he had enough on his plate as things were. With another sigh, he took his leave of them.

“Why do you let him talk to you like that?” Shikadai demanded as he turned back to Kiba – so teenage Shikamaru wasn’t just a jerk to strangers, he was a jerk even to _Kiba_!

“Because he’s right – I don’t know loss,” Kiba replied steadily with his usual matter-of-factness, obviously not making a big deal out of it. “Thanks for standing up for me though – unnecessary but appreciated!” he added with his trademark wide grin.

Shikadai looked away to hide his embarrassment and shrugged uncomfortably, burrowing his nose into his protector again and busying himself with petting Akamaru.

“You always do that – when you’re embarrassed, or worried, or tired,” Kiba noted perceptively, visibly amused by it.

“My father taught me,” Shikadai murmured softly. “ _Focus on what reassures you,_ ” he quoted. _Your scent, or mine_ , he’d added, and although he’d been using that protector for years and it therefore mostly smelled like him, if he concentrated hard he could still catch faint traces of his father’s scent on it too.

Kiba looked at him with a surprised frown – because of course he’d always thought like that and didn’t assume he was the only one, but it was surprising to hear someone use the exact same words he’d always told himself. “He seems like someone I’d get along with!” he noted with a grin.

“You would,” Shikadai agreed, feeling more homesick than ever, being there with him but not really _with him_. “He married into another clan, so this is all he could teach me – the rest of his techniques are clan secrets, you know?”

“Well, at least he taught you something awesome that very few people can do!” the Inuzuka noted proudly, grin widening at his nod. “Did you mother teach you _her_ amazing clan secrets then?” he then asked teasingly.

“Sort of – but I liked being a medic better anyway,” Shikadai replied with a shrug, looking into his eyes and then looking away, finding that he _wanted_ to talk to him – part of him _wanted_ him to find out, he wanted his reassuring presence back. “I don’t…actually have a mother—I have two fathers,” he quickly said before his words could be wrongly interpreted that he’d lost his mother.

Kiba opened round eyes at this and then grinned brightly. “That’s awesome!” he exclaimed earnestly before cocking his head to the side curiously. “But then…are you actually related to your parents? I mean, I know genetics aren’t everything, I’m just being curious…tell me off if I’m out of line!” he added seriously.

Shikadai shook his head, all too happy to confide in him somehow. “I’ll keep things simple, but my mother’s my aunt, so yeah, one of them is my biological father, and the other is my biological uncle,” he explained, hurriedly adding, “But they’re my parents and that’s it as far as I’m concerned—they’re both my father.”

Kiba smiled at him, looking truly happy to hear this – and with good reason, he mostly thought he should give up on the idea of having children one day, but visibly, some had managed! “Stories like that give me hope,” he admitted. “I doubt you’ll mind so I can tell you, but I prefer men, myself.”

Shikadai expertly opened round eyes, politely pretending to be surprised. He couldn’t help himself then, he had to ask: “Men like Shikamaru?”

“Whoa, where d’you get _that_ idea?” Kiba wondered as he laughed and lightly shoved his shoulder playfully. “I won’t deny his looks and the attractiveness that confidence can give someone, but I’m not a fan of the attitude,” he humored him.

The Nara refrained from sighing, having to admit he had a point – Shikamaru wouldn’t be making anyone fall in love with him anytime soon with that behavior.

“What about you?” Kiba then wondered curiously. “I mean, I know it’s a really stupid question, but do you prefer men or women?”

Shikadai blinked a couple of times in surprise, remembering the near-identical conversation he’d had with _his_ Kiba not too long ago. He found himself smiling as he gave him the same reply. “I can find either attractive, factually speaking, but I’ve never really been in love, so I don’t actually know…”

Kiba smiled warmly and nodded his approval of the answer. “I’m glad we met,” he told him easily.

“So am I,” Shikadai replied just as honestly. Part of him wished he could say as much about his other father, but there wasn’t much he could do about that, right?

…Or was there?

* * *

The next day, after lunch, instead of heading back to the archives, Shikadai took the path to the Nara clan grounds, finding the slightest bit of comfort in the fact that Maen’s pond still smelled moldy – gotta make do with the little things, right?

Shikaku wasn’t home, he could smell as much, but Shikamaru and Yoshino were. He wasn’t particularly looking forward to seeing her, but he couldn’t just barge into the garden, that wouldn’t go over well. So he knocked on the door and tried not to tense when she opened it. Fortunately, she didn’t close it to his face but allowed him to go round to the garden, and that was that.

He didn’t even pretend not to know the way, and just walked on where he knew his father liked to train. It really wasn’t long until he smelled him, and then he heard him, and within a couple of minutes he saw him. He wasn’t sure he’d noticed him until he was called out.

“I know you’re there. Did you get lost again?”

Shikadai sighed as he walked to him, crossing his arms over his chest. “You have an attitude problem, you know that?” he asked instead, eyes widening as he saw some blood on his arm. Acting on instinct, training and worry, he automatically reached for it and tsked as he saw the blood came from a particularly nasty scratch.

“Just a minor course correction gone wrong,” Shikamaru said blandly as he tried to get his arm back. But the other would have none of it and promptly made a quick sign before that familiar green light glowed around his hand and he pressed it to his wound, making quick work of it. “I didn’t know you were a medic-nin,” he noted in surprise.

“The correct response is ‘thank you’,” said medic replied with a frown, wondering why he briefly felt winded. That little healing jutsu was _nothing_ ; it shouldn’t have even registered to him, so why did it?

This had the merit of finally cracking Shikamaru’s façade with a genuine amused smile. “Thank you,” he replied much less insincerely than anything he’d said to him up to that point. “So who are you, really?” he then asked him with a raised eyebrow. “I’ve seen you walking around with my father, and an Anbu – no small fries.”

When they were off the Inuzuka grounds, Kaoru wore his Anbu mask, something that had been slightly strange to get used to – but quite cool, he had to admit. Shikadai realized at this that Shikamaru probably didn’t know the Anbu in question was Kiba’s father – from what he’d been told, he hadn’t known the slightest thing about him until he’d stumbled upon pictures of him long after his death.

“My name’s Dai Itoda, I’m on a special assignment,” was all he replied, purposefully remaining evasive – but he knew it was enough; after all no shinobi worth his salt declared his mission’s purpose and details just like that, or expected others to do the same.

Shikamaru hummed, looking briefly to the side. Shikadai knew he did that when he tried to work up his memory, no doubt he was presently trying to recall anything he might’ve heard about the Itoda clan – and was no longer surprised by his medical ninjutsu knowledge. “If you were looking for my father, he’s not home yet,” he finally told him.

Shikadai knew this, of course, but very convincingly managed to be perplexed. “Really? But he told me to be here after lunch!” And, oh, he’d worked in that sigh and the barest hint of a whine so well, too!

The other shinobi smirked the slightest bit at this, resting a hand on his hip. “Sorry to tell you this, but it wouldn’t be the first time he’s changed his plans at the last minute!”

“Well, two can play this game,” Shikadai declared, crossing his arms over his chest. “Do you mind if I stick around? I can heal you again if you get carried away,” he added with a smirk.

“Thanks but no thanks,” Shikamaru replied matter-of-factly, traces of warmth gone. He then sighed very quietly and raised an eyebrow at him. “Hey, what’s your rank? And specialty?” he wondered out loud before he could stop himself.

The time-traveler briefly pondered how to reply to that, without lying and without saying too much, finally settling for, “I’m a tokubetsu jounin, specialized in support – notably healing, as you might’ve surmised.” And also capture through both scent tracking and shadow manipulation, but that was too many details.

The promotion was recent, so he still got a kick out of saying it, to be honest, and part of him was even more pleased that Shikamaru seemed surprised for a second. “I’m also not half-bad at taijutsu – unless you pit me against a true specialist, that is!” he then added modestly – because Metal could still wipe the floor with him anytime and then run laps _on his hands_ around his bruised body.

“Are you familiar at all with the Nara clan’s shadow techniques?” the Nara asked him again.

Ha-ha, ho-ho. _Was_ he?

“That’s not exactly the word I’d use,” he tempered instead of speaking his mind. “But yeah, I know about it.”

“If you’re really planning on sticking around until my father gets home, then would you mind if I tried to catch you?” Shikamaru then asked nonchalantly – but the guardedness in his posture made it evident he didn’t like asking, at least to those who knew him.

“With your shadow you mean? So I need to evade?” Shikadai rephrased, perfectly playing dumb. He was used to evasive maneuvers training after all; at Hana’s behest, Kiba had trained him real hard to increase his evasion skills if he really wanted to make healing his field specialty. He wasn’t always as fast as him, but he was faster than Shikamaru in his time, so it was likely he’d be faster than _this_ Shikamaru as well, even if he was younger and fitter – in a shinobi’s line of work, when it came down to it experience trumped age any day.

“Think you’re up to it?”

“Do you want me to fight back? Or just evade?” Shikadai asked back instead of rising to the bait.

Shikamaru thought about it for barely a second before replying. “Fight back. Taijutsu only.” He then walked to pick up one of Asuma’s blades from where it was lodged in the tree trunk next to him, turning back to the other shinobi. “When you’re ready.”

The words were barely out of his mouth that his eyes widened and he had to dodge, having to admit he hadn’t thought his opponent would be _this_ fast. Stupid beginner’s mistake – even if his specialty was medical ninjutsu, he wouldn’t have made tokujou without well-balanced aptitudes.

Shikadai for his part was trying not to act too much like he knew exactly what the other shinobi was capable of – and for sure he gathered that at this point in time, no one knew what he could do with those chakra blades, so he really had to act like he didn’t worry about letting those anywhere near his shadow. He knew these woods, too, just as well, but there was no reason for him to, so played that down as well.

A childish competitive part of him wanted to impress him, so maybe he took it a bit too seriously, but he realized that he also needed an outlet, and this was the perfect opportunity. Shikamaru vanished and hid, but finding him again was child’s play with his nose – a detail he’d however kept in mind, even from just his comments the first time they’d met.

He wanted to win. But he knew he shouldn’t. With that in mind, Shikadai yet again charged, and allowed himself to get caught by the shadow blade. However, he knew the weakness of those weapons – something that could help his father in the fight against Akatsuki he knew was going to take place in just a few days. Concentrating his chakra on that one flaw, he disrupted the blade’s chakra flow and picked it up to lodge it in a tree next to the other’s – surprised – head.

“How did you do that?” Shikamaru wondered with a frown, wiping his brow with the back of his sleeve.

Shikadai let out a deep breath as he rested his hands behind his head. “The blades act as a vessel, but they’re not effectively part of you, so your chakra link can be severed if someone pinpoints it – like genjutsu, you see? Disrupt the flow and you break the hold,” he explained as neutrally as he could.

Shikamaru’s frown deepened as he mulled over his words, absently reaching to grab the blade back and study it. “So the control needs to be refined.”

“Chakra blades are basically sponges: whoever emits the highest level of chakra at a certain stage gets them,” Shikadai added with a shrug.

“So instead I need to focus on letting go of the blade in favor of the shadow as soon as the connection is made,” Shikamaru concluded with a raised eyebrow – a conclusion he’d have naturally come to on his own in a matter of days anyway, so there was no harm done in speeding up the process a bit, right? “Thanks,” he finally said earnestly, if the slightest bit grudgingly.

Shikadai grinned at him and waved it off, letting out a sigh as really, he still felt a bit weak compared to his usual self – normally, training like that would’ve barely tired him out, but obviously, his body was still suffering from stupid time-travel’s _stupid_ side-effects. “Hey, d’you have anything to drink?”

“Over at the house – I guess I can take a break to indulge you, you did help me after all,” Shikamaru drawled as he motioned for him to follow him.

“You’re too kind,” Dai replied blandly, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

“Are you done training already?” Yoshino wondered half-worriedly as they entered the house, gaze only trailing to their guest for a moment.

“Nah, just taking a break – this is Dai, he’s working with dad,” her son replied succinctly as he kept walking towards the kitchen.

“Mrs. Nara,” Shikadai said with a nod.

She nodded back at him and then hummed as she stroked her chin. “Now that I’m looking at you again, I have to say there’s something really familiar about you…do I know your parents?” she wondered.

Shikamaru thankfully saved him from having to lie through his teeth. “Mom…” he said warningly as he walked back in, handing the other shinobi a large glass of water.

“Okay, okay, I get it…” Yoshino said with a huff-slash-pout as she left them and returned to her medicine brewing – the main reason he visited her in his own time, because he had to admit she knew her stuff on ingredients.

Thanking his host, he sat on the porch and drank half the glass in one go, setting it down before pressing his nose back into his protector and closing his eyes.

“Familiar scents make you feel better, don’t they?” Shikamaru noted as he sat down next to him. “I take it you don’t have a regular sense of smell?” he needlessly asked.

“I’m not a tracker, but I can keep pretty good track of my surroundings and the people I’m familiar with,” Shikadai tempered honestly. “It can still get a bit overwhelming at times – familiar scents help,” he explained. Along the way, he’d somehow ended up using smells to reassure himself about everything and anything, even when it wasn’t related to his nose at all.

“Makes sense,” Shikamaru replied simply before grinning as he thought about something. “You know Kiba, obviously – he’s the first person I really knew who can use his nose like that.”

“I’m nowhere near as good as him!” the medic automatically pointed out.

The other shinobi nodded his understanding and then winced. “I saw him lose a fight because of his nose once, actually – it was painful to watch, I really wouldn’t have wanted to be in his shoes!”

“Oh, the fart story, is it?” Shikadai drawled – yeah, even thirty years later, that one never went out of fashion in Konoha, to his father’s great dismay – and he honestly suspected their esteemed Hokage the Seventh himself was behind it. “My father taught me ways out of bad situations like that – such as this,” he noted as he tapped the protector where it rested against his neck. His eyes then doubled in size as he saw the other pull out a pack of smokes and actually light one. “Since when do you smoke?” he half-exclaimed before he could stop himself.

“Smell bothers you?” the Nara asked back with a raised eyebrow.

Shikadai frowned as he moved the fabric higher until it completely covered his nose and shrugged, calming down – so _that_ was the final piece of that wrong smell! “Just surprised, is all. Don’t worry, I’m not about to tell you what you can or can’t do in your own house,” he muttered, inching a bit further from him. Inwardly he wondered if maybe that was why his Kiba hated the smell of smoke, beyond the stink – because it reminded him of jerky teenage Shikamaru.

“Oh, not even a quip about how it’s bad for my health? I’m impressed!” Shikamaru replied with a huff.

“I don’t know loss,” Shikadai said quietly, remembering Kiba’s words from the day before and getting them on another level now. “Kiba said that, and now I see why he did.” It was very interesting to see Shikamaru raise an eyebrow in surprise at this, visibly appreciative of the mindset. A (newly) familiar smell snapped him out of his thoughts though and he stood. “Shikaku’s back.”

Shikamaru looked up and tilted his head to the side. “Nose?” He hummed at the other’s nod and turned back to gaze at the garden – no doubt thinking about the rest of his training. “Don’t let him work you to the grave,” were his only parting words.

“Don’t work _yourself_ to the grave,” Shikadai said back as he walked to meet up with his grandfather.

“Dai? Why are you here? Did you find anything?” the commander wondered when he saw him.

“No, but I needed a break, and I had to see him again at least once,” was his honest reply.

“I know,” Shikaku said with a sigh. “But I doubt it’s wise.”

“Probably not, but I’m an Inuzuka at heart – I can’t _not_ take risks!” Shikadai affirmed with a smirk.

Not to mention that risks more often than not paid off!

Shikaku couldn’t remain stern at this and laughed at his bravado as he moved a hand to pat his shoulder. “I’m not going to keep you away from him – just be careful,” he said seriously, smiling as he watched him salute and go. As he reached his garden, he nodded at his son.

“Did you run into Dai on your way? He was here waiting for you,” Shikamaru informed him with a raised eyebrow.

Shikadai blinked lazily and then shrugged. “I saw him. The instructions I had for him weren’t long to communicate,” he dismissed easily as he walked to sit next to him, casually picking up one of his chakra blades. “Did you talk to him?”

“Not much,” Shikamaru replied with a shrug as he stood and stretched his arms. “He helped me train a bit – gave some good advice about those blades, actually,” he added as he pointed to the weapons. “Funny I’ve never heard of him before. We’re about the same age, you’d think I’d have at least seen him around the village a couple of times,” he then noted with a raised eyebrow.

Shikaku chuckled at his thinly veiled inquisition and looked up at him. “Dai is a…special case,” he said, for lack of a better way to explain him. “He’s a good lad though, you can trust him – and there’s no doubt any advice of his is worth taking into consideration.”

Shikamaru’s eyes narrowed shrewdly at this as he stopped in front of him. “You seem to have a surprisingly high opinion of him,” he noted simply, visibly curious as he knew they were both by nature wary people.

The jounin commander smiled slowly, having to admit it was a lot of fun to play with him like this – he could hardly blame Shikadai for tempting fate. “I know and appreciate his parents the same – it stands to reason I’d give their son the same treatment, as the apple usually doesn’t fall too far from the tree.”

“His parents, huh?” the younger Nara noted, not entirely convinced.

“Yes. Excellent shinobi, the both of them – but first and foremost _good men_ ,” Shikaku continued evenly, noting the way his son’s eyes widened and narrowed the slightest bit in quick succession but pretending not to. It was strange watching how expertly Shikamaru kept his composure; it had him feeling both proud as a shinobi, and saddened as a father that he felt the need to hold back so much with him.

 _Ask me_ , he wanted to tell him. _Ask me more about them, so I can breach that subject with you._

But Shikamaru didn’t ask, just schooled his expression back to that bored one, and told him he’d train some more before pausing and asking him to join.

So Shikaku did, still hoping for a chance to take some of the weight off his shoulders down the road. He really understood why Shikadai felt like he couldn’t stay away despite the risks…

* * *

 


	4. Chapter 3

* * *

**Chapter 3**

* * *

“You know, I think we’ve been overthinking this,” Kaoru told them pensively that evening as they convened in Shikaku’s office. He’d actually just returned from a mission – unfortunately, being an Anbu meant that his assignments were irregular and classified to all but the Hokage and (sometimes) the Anbu commander, so he could never give anyone any warning before vanishing, nor any indications on when he’d be back.

“How so?” the jounin commander questioned.

“Something happened in that place – that precise spot,” the Anbu continued.

Shikadai shook his head at this, shooting Shikaku a look. “We tried going back – nothing happened.”

“Because something’s missing at it stands right now,” Kaoru reminded them with a nod.

“Something like the body of an immortal?” Inoichi offered with a raised eyebrow.

“Something like that, yes!”

Shikadai frowned as he looked down at his hands. “So what…we need to wait until he’s in that hole again?”

Kaoru shrugged as he hopped down from the desk he was perched on, resting a hand on his shoulder. “Your guess is as good as mine, but I’ve been snooping around, you see, and there’s so little information on that Jashin cult and its rituals that even Akatsuki is easier to investigate!” he told them honestly. “It just seems unlikely to me that something like Hidan’s body in that grave would have nothing to do with your predicament, Dai.”

“That _would_ seem to be too much of a coincidence,” Inoichi conceded as he shared a look with his friend.

“Historically, we know through you that team Asuma under Kakashi’s supervision will complete the mission,” Kaoru continued, moving to place his second hand on his other shoulder. “So let’s check that place out again after that’s done – then Inoichi can directly search at the source.”

Shikaku surveyed them both, sighing as he crossed his arms over his chest. “I hate to say it, but we’re stumped as it is,” he admitted. “I was even thinking that, if all else fails, then perhaps we should ask the Hokage for help – only she would have access to additional resources, not to mention as our time’s best medic, she might be able to help with your condition.”

Shikadai had to admit he’d thought about that himself, but he was glad they still had one last option before resorting to that. Despite having a tremendous amount of respect for the Lady Tsunade, he felt better keeping this ‘in the family’, so to say. “Fine with me.”

So all he had to do was patiently wait it out while his father risked his life in battle against two members of Akatsuki – easy as pie, right?

Still, as he walked back to the Inuzuka clan grounds, he turned to his grandfather with a sigh. “I can’t do it – just wait it out while my father risks his life,” he confessed.

Kaoru nodded at this, not really surprised. “No one’s asking you to just twiddle your thumbs and wait for the days to roll by. We’ll keep the search up. And I bet there are a few things I could teach you, if you’d like! There are medical ninjutsu techniques I haven’t had time to teach Hana yet – although I’ll make it a point to do so before I leave again,” he added thoughtfully.

“I’d like that,” Shikadai agreed earnestly. It would be perfect to keep him busy – and besides, Kaoru was an Anbu, there was no doubt he had much to learn from him.

* * *

Kaoru was a stern teacher, and he wasn’t exactly _good_ at teaching, but he was undeniably skilled. No matter, Shikadai had to admit he enjoyed the opportunity regardless of his grandfather’s very vague instruction skills. He’d inherited excellent chakra control skills from both sides, and healing came naturally to him – that precise, blink-and-you’ll-miss-the-moment quality he had to apply to every move. And of course, spending time with him, just like that, was good. Even if the man visibly felt more comfortable being a friend and a distant relative than he did being a parent or grandparent, as everyone had always said.

“Let’s call it a day,” Kaoru said after a couple of hours.

“Already?” Shikadai asked back with a frown – he felt so tired all the time, at least if he trained it could be good physical fatigue.

“I’ve still got regular work to do,” the Anbu reminded him with a smirk, waiting for his nod before promptly vanishing. Well, he didn’t dwell on it too much.

Letting out a deep breath, Shikadai slowly made his way back to the house, taking his time. He passed by a few clan members, but they must’ve smelled the scent of several of their own on him because nobody bothered him, just nodded or grinned an acknowledgement as he walked on. His nose twitched as he picked up an unfamiliar scent about the house, and he got there just in time to see a grinning Kiba part ways with another shinobi. They’d never met, but Boruto had shown him pictures.

Neji Hyuuga smirked back at the Inuzuka and they shared a chuckle before he left, but not without nodding towards Akamaru as well, to his credit. As he walked by Shikadai, he nodded summarily, but didn’t otherwise react as he continued towards the clan grounds’ entrance.

“Training,” Kiba replied with a shrug as he noticed his frown once he got to him, pausing at his expression. “What?”

Shikadai pressed his lips together as he wasn’t sure how to word what was going on through his mind – or if he even really wanted to, to be honest. But he couldn’t stay quiet. “ _Just_ training?”

Kiba cocked his head to the side and then laughed, reaching to clap his shoulder. “Oh, you crack me up! Neji and I aren’t together!” He laughed even louder at Shikadai’s embarrassed expression, insufferable person that he was. “You seem to be awfully interested in my relationships, Dai – something you want to tell me?” he goaded as he slung an arm over his shoulder easily.

Shikadai scowled at him as he lightly elbowed his side so he’d let go and then crossed his arms over his chest. “You can’t blame me for wondering!”

“You should see your face! You’re so easy to rile up!” Kiba insufferably continued, leaning back against Akamaru and sharing a laugh with the nin-dog. “What’ve _you_ been up to today?” he then wondered, his own peace offering.

“Training too,” the medic replied simply, glad for the change of subject. “With Kaoru.”

The tracker raised an eyebrow at this, slightly puzzled because honestly, his father was a crappy teacher – he just didn’t have that touch that allowed him to explain what he understood well to someone who didn’t understand it yet. Yet at the same time, as an Anbu his experience and lessons were always invaluable, and usually, when he was in Konoha, he spent his time on him and Hana – well, to be fair, he had, so it wasn’t like he was jealous or anything.  “You look exhausted,” he noted with a frown.

Shikadai blinked as he looked down at himself. Despite the days and the rest, his fatigue levels weren’t dropping one bit, and he had to admit that he’d begun to worry, but he didn’t want to alert the others. “I just need a nap,” he said with a forced grin. Naps always helped – the one good constant in his life, he mused.

Kiba raised an eyebrow, obviously not buying it, but not about to make him explain himself if he didn’t want to. “Make yourself at home, as always,” he told him simply as he waved a hand about. “Akamaru and me are going off to train some more with my teammates, so see you later!”

“Later!” the Nara replied. “And thank you,” he added as he entered the house.

Kiba watched him go with a frown and then shared a look with Akamaru. Something was seriously ruffling him the wrong way – but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it, like when you’re just about to remember something but you keep forgetting it right as it’s coming back.

But he was going to get to the bottom of this.

* * *

The next day, Shikadai and Kiba sparred together in the morning, which further deepened the Inuzuka’s suspicions. So much so that shortly after lunch, as he watched Dai leave with his father again, he didn’t feel like brushing it off anymore.

“Something’s off, isn’t it boy?” he asked Akamaru rhetorically – his nin-dog faithfully agreed anyway. And he wasn’t one to invade other people’s privacy or insist on making them reveal what they’d rather keep to themselves, but just this once, he was going to _snoop_.

Not particularly bothering with being stealthy about it since no one else was home and he’d owe up to it anyway, he walked to the guest-room, and once in just took in the different scents. Eventually he moved to follow his nose to the strongest source: one of the standard issue backpacks the mystery shinobi had come with. He didn’t hesitate long before opening it. Rumpled, dirty clothes were his only reward, but something caught his attention anyway before any disappointment really had time to settle.

The once soft grey jacket was really similar to the one he used to wear, although the sleeves were shorter, stopping at the elbows. Maybe Shikadai’s father had given it to him? It was quite Inuzuka in style, and they were the only clan in the village to both use nin-dogs and increase their sense of smell. Bringing it closer to his face, he inhaled its scent, immediately pulling back with a frown as it just didn’t make sense. Pressing his nose to his own sleeve to get back his familiar scent, he tried once more to smell the muddy jacket.

It smelled of Dai, undoubtedly, but there were traces of…of _himself_ , and Akamaru – and other people, more or less familiar. Turning the garment around in his hands to better inspect it, he frowned as something seemed to be standing out slightly under the dirt on the back. Determined to get to the bottom of this, he went to the bathroom, wetting a rag to carefully scrub at the dried mud where he’d noticed the different texture. And as it became obvious that something was printed underneath, he hesitated for all of a second before shoving the entire jacket under a steady water flow.

And after a short moment, he saw the Nara clan crest was stamped right on the back of the jacket.

Well, he supposed stranger things did happen than an Inuzuka marrying into the Nara clan, however dissimilar the two were; but to his knowledge, that hadn’t been the case in some time! Then again, he knew that the boy had two fathers, so perhaps the discretion surrounding his birth had been forced.

Twisting his mouth in thoughts, he wondered if this jacket also had a hidden weather-proof pocket, like his, at the back of the neck – he used to keep spare army pills there, back in the day. Feeling oddly excited as indeed, there was a carefully concealed zipper, he reached inside and pulled out a folded note. In all honesty, he debated with himself for a long while before deciding to see it through and open it.

It took even longer for his mind to truly wrap itself around the words he read.

_—So now you can stop stealing mine—keep the protector though! I’m proud of you pup—Dad (K)_

Akamaru looked over his shoulder and whined in confusion, but Kiba couldn’t reply, because his hand was currently slapped to his mouth, ensuring that he wouldn’t yell in surprise. He knew that writing. He knew that signature— _but it was impossible, it made no sense_!

He’d thought maybe his father had had an indiscretion or something, he was looking for signs he had a half-brother, or distant cousin, not a…a…a _what_ , damn it?

Dai was…odd. Guarded. But he had that knowing look in his eyes – when he didn’t look completely lost, strangely enough. And he knew that Kiba wasn’t as goofy and oblivious as he sometimes pretended to be, or that he had a tendency to lean left before moving to counter (however slightly). He also knew that Akamaru liked celery sticks, something that really just couldn’t be guessed!

It was as if he already knew all of that before meeting them—liked he’d _lived_ it, and therein laid the problem: it was impossible!

So who was he?

More importantly, why was he pretending to be someone else?

He had a feeling his father knew. Probably Shikaku as well – of course the head of the Nara clan would know his clansmen, right? There probably weren’t that many Nara who could use their nose – heck, to Kiba’s knowledge there was only _one_ , and he’d found out about him just now. He’d also seen Inoichi with them once or twice, so make that three people in the know.

Well, he was going to make them bring that number up to four whether they wanted to or not.

Figuring the worst was already done so whatever, he carefully folded the note and put it back in its spot, thinking to himself that it didn’t look all that recent: it was well-read, and the lines where it was folded went deep in the paper – it brought a smile to his lips, for some reason. Thinking to himself there was nothing else to do, he hung the jacket to dry and then set to wait for his father and Dai to come back. He’d never been this patient and _im_ patient at the same time.

When he (finally) caught their scents on the clan grounds, he sat up and almost counted the seconds until they walked into the garden, immediately offering Dai a rematch for this morning’s session. The other shinobi seemed hesitant, but Kaoru laughed and pushed him to say ‘yes’, so he grudgingly agreed. Kiba acted as casually as he could, because there was one thing he really wanted to test for himself.

Dai quickly regretted agreeing though, because the Inuzuka clearly had no intention of going easy on him. “Stop! Yield—I said _yield_! You’re crazy! You said _sparring_!” he yelled with a frown as he evaded his rotating fang attack. Kiba ignored him and charged again, and that time Shikadai had no choice but to use his shadow to stop him. It was only once the capture was complete and Kiba’s eyes narrowed as he calmed down that Shikadai realized he’d been played – pushed into revealing his hand, because the opening had been just too perfect.

“What’s gotten into you?” he demanded with a scowl, letting go of his shadow and crossing his arms over his chest. He was about to give Kaoru a piece of his mind for not interrupting them but the words died in his throat because he wasn’t prepared for it at all when Kiba stepped closer, reached for his shoulders, and pulled him into his arms.

Once more, he noted that his grandfather was a traitor. But Kaoru was immune to his look; he was only amused, and then he was just gone as he left him to explain himself on his own. _Traitor_.

“What are you _doing_?” Shikadai sputtered as he kept his arms crossed like a final barrier between them.

“I’m not sure,” Kiba admitted. “ _You_ tell me,” he added seriously.

Shikadai sighed deeply at this, wriggling his nose at his scent because it was still wrong.

But…the hand petting his hair and the warmth against him, they were _right_. They were the same he’d grown up with. It made him feel like a child and it embarrassed him but for the first time since he’d woken up in the woods to this nightmare, he finally felt safe – and even _home_. So he slowly uncrossed his arms and let his father pull him closer.

Everyone needed to be reassured at times; it was nothing to be embarrassed of, right? Akamaru pressed himself to his side and his throat definitely did not tighten painfully as he reached to rub his head, unconsciously pressing himself closer against Kiba. “I’ve got some explaining to do, right?” he mumbled against him.

“Yep,” Kiba agreed with an amused sigh.

“What even made you want to confront me?” the medic wondered with a frown.

Kiba tensed briefly before sighing and looking to the side guiltily. “Well…I might’ve…y’know…looked through your stuff and found your jacket and the note inside…” he admitted.

Shikadai tensed, mortified, as he pulled back. “You _what_? Since when do you go through my stuff? And you’re supposed to be—” he trailed off at this, remembering that this Kiba wasn’t his father yet, so _no_ , he wasn’t supposed to be the responsible adult between the two of them. Besides, he was being played again, because Kiba just looked happy and dazed by his outburst. “You’re so annoying, dad!” he muttered by habit without any real animosity as he once more crossed his arms over his chest.

Kiba’s eyes widened and he mouthed the word to himself before repeating, “ _Dad_?”

“Yeah,” the Nara confirmed with a self-conscious flush, being forced to look away as a radiant grin slowly took over his father’s face.

“Call me that again!” Kiba said excitedly.

“No!” Shikadai refused with a frown, now truly embarrassed and annoyed.

“Aw, come on Dai!” Kiba goaded as he slung an arm over his shoulder. As he saw he wouldn’t budge, he jumped onto another question. “ _Sooo_ …who’s your other dad? Your…real father I guess.”

“You’re my real father!” Shikadai said back with a frown as a hand reached to grab his shirt, never wanting him to doubt that again.

The Inuzuka smiled brightly, gently running a hand through his hair. “I know, I know…you told me so, I remember that – it was just a figure of speech,” he reassured him, truly touched that he saw him this way – and happy…so indescribably _happy_.

The other shinobi sighed wearily at this and just mumbled his reply. “My full name…it’s Shikadai.”

Kiba instantly stopped his teasing, raising an eyebrow as he put two and two together. “Shikadai _Nara_ , right?” At the other’s nod, he continued. “As in, related to _Shikamaru Nara_?” As he received another nod, he hummed as he thought it over. “So, me and Shikamaru, huh? Can’t say I saw that one coming…” he admitted.

“It’s not for another few years,” Shikadai immediately tempered, not wanting him to remain stuck on jerky-teenage Shikamaru. “Dad’s jerk phase will be over by then!”

“His ‘jerk phase’?” Kiba repeated in confusion.

“Well…he’s being sort of a jerk right now, so…” he trailed off with a shrug.

The Inuzuka nodded his understanding, shrugging slightly. “It’s just that Asuma’s death hit him hard, you know – before it happened, he really wasn’t like that.”

Shikadai nodded back, inwardly pleased that he thought so, and even more so that he was defending him. Wordlessly, he pressed his nose into his protector.

“That’s mine, isn’t it?” Kiba wondered as he looked at it, grinning warmly at his embarrassed nod. “There’s so much I want to ask you…but first things first—how is this even possible? How are you here?” he asked him with a frown.

Shikadai sighed as he scratched Akamaru’s ears. “I’d like to know, too! Kaoru, Shikaku and Inoichi have been helping me for days to try and figure it out – and figure out how to send me back – but no luck so far!” he told him seriously.

Kiba winced at this. “Well, if even with their knowledge and contacts they can’t help you, I’m afraid I’m pretty much useless to you,” he admitted unhappily.

“No, you make me feel home!” Shikadai hurriedly assured him before frowning and resisting the urge to slap his palm to his forehead at his words – great, now Kiba would certainly think he was still a daddy’s boy! “I mean…your behavior’s pretty much the same, and there’s Akamaru, so…it _reminds_ me of home!” he quickly corrected.

His father visibly saw through him but mercifully didn’t say anything, just grinned fondly. “So…how did you convince the others you’re not crazy?” he then wondered curiously as they both sat down, leaning back against Akamaru.

“Inoichi,” was the prompt reply. “He read my memories and saw I wasn’t lying – then he showed Shikaku and Kaoru.”

Kiba’s eyes widened excitedly at this. “Could he show me too?”

“Probably, but…”

“But _what_?”

“It’s just…” Shikadai sighed at this, wondering about it himself. “I’m just not sure how much it’s safe for you to know…”

“Well, if _they_ know, there’s no reason I can’t, right? And I’d say this concerns _me_ even more than them!” the tracker reasoned with a shrug.

Shikadai opened his mouth and then closed it, not sure whether it was a good idea to tell him those three were ‘safe’ because they’d die anyway. Better deflect. “Just tell me what you want to know, I’ll tell you – only about our family though.” It was best not to give him details on his friends or anyone else.

“Are we happy? The three of us?” Kiba asked simply, apologizing as Akamaru whined reproachfully. “Sorry, sorry! The _four_ of us! Unless—wait, do you have siblings?” As awesome as that would be, he was too close to feeling overwhelmed as it was.

Shikadai grinned as he rubbed Akamaru’s head happily. “No, it’s just us four – and yeah, we’re…happy!” Actually _saying_ it sounded so mushy though…

Kiba grinned back, raising a hand to scratch his cheek self-consciously. “And…Shikamaru and me…we still uh…love each other?” Over twenty years was a long time, after all…as things were this instant, he really couldn’t imagine it.

“Yes. And as if the googly eyes weren’t enough, the recurrent morning-after scent pretty much proves the point!” Shikadai couldn’t help but tease him, because he was still mortified on a _very_ regular basis, and he believed in payback.

Kiba laughed at this, having to admit he was reassured – growing up, he’d only really seen his parents’ peculiar and mostly independent relationship, so he was glad to know his would follow the more traditional approach of being together. “So…he taught you to use shadows, and I taught you to use your nose—”

“And taijutsu,” Shikadai added with a nod.

“And I guess Hana taught you medical ninjutsu?” Hana, who was his birth mother. He was surprised she’d do this for him, pleasantly so, but not really shocked when it came down to it. They were close enough for him to understand. It didn’t mean he didn’t tremendously appreciate it though, because he knew that wasn’t a given.

Shikadai nodded slowly. “Yeah – I mean not _just_ her, but mostly. It’s my natural leaning, and I had no wish to be just another Nara in the bunch, so I decided to go all the way and make it my specialty,” he explained, adding proudly, “I was even promoted to tokubetsu jounin recently thanks to that – and also because I’m a capture specialist.”

Kiba grinned once more, feeling incredibly proud although it was a strange feeling – they were the same age, for starters! In a sense, there were so many other things he wanted to ask him, but effectively, he knew the important parts – they were happy, he was stuck here and he needed help. He knew he didn’t need to ask whether they were close; Shikadai still carried his old forehead protector, and wore a jacket that was similar to his, in which he’d kept a note from him. It made him happier than words could express.

“Well, I’m here for you if you need anything – but I hope I don’t actually need to tell you that.”

“No, you don’t,” Shikadai confirmed earnestly, truly happy to be able to confide in him. “If you can, come with me tomorrow to Shikaku’s office? Maybe he and Inoichi will have found out something new…I mean I know you have your own assignments to see to, but…” It never hurt to keep hoping, right?

“I’ll be there,” Kiba replied simply, smile warm.

There was a piece of home, right there in that smile.

And yet it made Shikadai feel more homesick than ever.

* * *

To his credit, Shikaku only raised an eyebrow at them for a second when they walked into his office, trailing his eyes from Kiba’s slightly pinched grin, Kaoru’s shit-faced one, and Shikadai’s guilty expression. “I suppose it was too much to hope for that this would stay a secret…” he mused philosophically. He had to admit he wasn’t entirely displeased, himself. After all, he did want to have a few words with his future son-in-law, if only to thank him for making his son happy and congratulate him on raising such a fine young man.

Inoichi openly displayed his amusement at the situation, shrugging helplessly at his friend.

“I told him as little as possible, I promise! And only if it was directly related to the three of us!” Shikadai defended himself, sighing in relief when Shikaku nodded at him, clearly having understood his message that he’d kept their future deaths a secret.

“Kids will be kids, right?” Kaoru wondered rhetorically as he slung his arms around their shoulders, continuing right away. “Shikaku, can you cover for Kiba today? Now that he’s in the know, there are some places I’d like his nose to investigate,” he continued more seriously.

Shikadai frowned at this, wanting to ask him why he hadn’t asked _him_ – but he immediately calmed down, because despite his enhanced sense of smell, he _wasn’t_ a tracker. He could smell things about people, and keep track of his loved ones, but that was it – that was all he was allowed to learn. Kiba was leagues above him – and he had Akamaru. Still, he was slightly annoyed that Kaoru was in a sense ‘stealing’ him from him when they’d just found each other.

“Can I come along too?” he asked, trying to make it as undemanding as possible.

Kaoru shook his head at this, turning to him as he squeezed his shoulder. “We’ll need to leave the village, and I don’t think that’s a good idea for you,” he told him earnestly.

“But—”

“I agree with Kaoru, there are too many unknowns outside of Konoha’s borders,” Shikaku cut him off simply.

Inoichi almost smiled to himself at the young man’s annoyed expression – he _would_ call it a pout if he were younger. “I’ve made some progress on my side as well – or so I hope, at least. Today I’d like to try to search your memory once more,” he told him to distract him.

Kiba frowned slightly, seeing both parties’ points, and ultimately recognizing their priorities. “Don’t worry, we won’t be gone long,” he reassured him – his father had only said ‘today’, right?

Shikadai’s frown didn’t vanish but he relented and sighed as he looked to the side. Truthfully, he didn’t want to leave the village – he may have grown up in a world where they didn’t need to fear the other villages in the alliance, but he knew it wasn’t the same in this time, and if he were to be captured, it wouldn’t bode anything good for him and Konoha.

He didn’t want Kiba to leave either, but that was a different can of worms, right? Besides, they were all doing this _for him_. He couldn’t act spoiled about it.

“Alright. Please be careful,” he added, trying to appear casual about it, letting out a sound of indignant protest when Kiba gave him a one-armed hug and loudly assured him they would be.

It was early evening when the Inuzukas returned to the jounin commander’s office – only Kiba, actually, as Kaoru had left to pursue additional leads on his own. “Asleep?” he noted half-amused as he saw Shikadai napping on the room’s couch.

“I told him to go home, but he insisted on waiting for you to come back,” Shikaku supplied helpfully, smiling slightly to himself as he watched him grin fondly at the young time-traveler. “I must admit I’m not entirely annoyed that you found out. I’ve wanted to thank you – from Shikadai’s memories it’s obvious you’ll make my son and grandson very happy,” he noted earnestly – they likely wouldn’t have many chances to have this talk after all.

Kiba blinked in confusion at him and ran a hand through his hair self-consciously. “Well…you’re welcome, I guess. But…don’t you think you’re getting slightly ahead of yourself?”

A good reaction, but he couldn’t tell him why time was of the essence. “I like to get things out of the way,” he replied with a shrug, and it wasn’t a complete lie, really.

The tracker chuckled before sighing as he rested a hand on his hip. “And you’re okay with…well… _me_?” he wondered with a raised eyebrow as he used his other hand to gesture to himself vaguely.

Shikaku did chuckle in surprise at this, as always liking the Inuzukas’ famed directness. “You’re a good person, Kiba. I’d have to be an idiot to have a problem with you based solely on your gender,” he replied easily.

The way the young man’s eyes narrowed slightly and he tilted his head to the side to study him, he felt certain that Kiba realized there was more that he wasn’t saying – he was sharp, sharper than most gave him credit for, something he was sure Shikamaru had undoubtedly been attracted to. ( _Would be_ attracted to? He was getting slightly lost in regards to which tense to use in this situation…)

Kiba held his look but didn’t pry for more details. He then turned his head to the side as Akamaru whined slightly, tail wagging as Shikadai was waking up.

As he watched his grandson’s eyes light up as soon as they rested on Kiba, Shikaku knew without the shadow of a doubt that a simple ‘thank you’ would never be enough, and that he really did not need to worry about his son’s future.

Someone visibly already had it covered.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I was writing this part, I actually felt relieved that Kiba was no longer in the dark!!! This story really had a mind of its own all along...


	5. Chapter 4

* * *

**Chapter 4**

* * *

_“Hey, Neji, do you want to have kids?”_

_Neji paused in his exercise, having to admit that Kiba had, yet again, managed to break his concentration. “That’s out of nowhere,” he noted instead of replying._

_Kiba just raised an eyebrow, as though reminding him of who he was talking to, and the Hyuuga had to concede the point._

_“What brought the subject to mind? I never figured you’d think about that – it would be on the difficult side, for you,” he said, factually but not unkindly._

_“But see that’s exactly the thing!” Kiba insisted almost cheerfully as he leaned into his space – and remained unfazed as Neji took a step back since he_ liked _his space. “You know how I mentioned that a distant relative of my dad’s is staying with us? Well, he has two fathers!_ Two _!” There he paused, as though to convey his excitement. “So I guess…well, maybe I could have a kid too someday, you know?”_

_Neji hummed, unsure how to respond – it wasn’t in his nature to be over-excited about anything, but he didn’t want the other to think he couldn’t care less because his reaction had been lukewarm. “Well…if that’s something you want for yourself, then that’s really good news,” he finally offered._

_“I do – want that, I mean!” Kiba confirmed with a wide grin. “Do you? I mean obviously, it’s not like feasibility would be an issue for you, since you like women and all…” he then asked, open and earnest as always._

_Neji almost chuckled, actually liking that kind of open frankness – it was why he’d agreed to train with him after all: Kiba had no filters, but he was honest about it. “Not as long as the Hyuuga remain as they are, no. I wouldn’t want to make any child go through what I did,” he replied truthfully._

_Hanabi might not have the power to change anything after all, even if she wanted to._

_“Makes sense,” Kiba replied with a frown, wordlessly reaching to punch his shoulder._

Kiba’s eyes snapped open at this, and he yawned widely as he wondered why he’d been thinking about that talk with Neji…it wasn’t like kids were anywhere near the horizon for either of them.

Reaching a hand to pat Akamaru blindly, he frowned as he couldn’t find his nin-dog. Yawning once more, he sat up and looked around, going still as he saw Akamaru was currently being used as someone else’s pillow on a mattress by his bed.

_Oh._

Wow, so the part about Dai being his son who’d travelled back in time wasn’t a dream, huh?

Feeling a bit dazed, he didn’t fight the huge grin that split his face as he looked at him, trying to find the resemblance. Maybe a bit there…and here…the snoring had to be a Nara thing though, the Inuzuka didn’t snore – the drooling, on the other hand…well, he’d plead guilty to that one.

Dai probably sensed that someone was studying him, because he stirred and opened his eyes, frowning at him sleepily. “Stop staring, dad, you’re being creepy,” he said with a yawn before closing his eyes once more and burying his face in Akamaru’s flank.

Kiba couldn’t help it then – he burst out laughing.

He was just so happy.

Akamaru whined reproachfully and Dai pulled back, looking at him with a frown. A look came over his face then, the one that meant he’d momentarily forgotten _when_ he was and had now remembered, and felt embarrassed about his reaction. “You’re so annoying…” he muttered as he ran a hand through his hair, yawning for good measure.

Kiba visibly wasn’t offended, and ruffled his hair as he got up. “I know!” Turning to his nin-dog, he cocked his head to the side. “Ready in 20, Akamaru!” was all he said before leaving his room.

Akamaru barked back and Dai frowned – because he knew those words, they meant they were getting ready for work. For a mission. And fear gripped him at this. Forcing himself up, he waited for Kiba in the kitchen, grabbing something to eat to keep himself occupied, and doing his best to act nonchalant once the two walked in, all ready.

“So you have a mission?” Shikadai asked needlessly with a frown as he watched Kiba double-check his weapons holster before attaching it to his leg.

The Inuzuka nodded before looking at him and smiling slightly at his worried look. “Wipe that frown off your face, this is what we do for a living, remember?” he chided him gently as he poked the crease between his eyebrows. “And we know I’ll be alive to embarrass you in 27 years, so today’s mission will end well!” he reasoned.

Shikadai sighed as he knew he had a point – but still. One of his parents was already putting his life on the line, dangerously so, by pursuing a vendetta against an immortal who may or may not be responsible for his time travel, so he felt he was entitled to be a bit more protective of his other parent. “I want you to know that I’m usually not this…clingy with you,” he muttered despite himself.

Kiba laughed as he tapped his shoulder. “I know, I’m sure you must be going crazy on the inside every time I hug you – because knowing myself, I’d still hug you anyway!” As the other boy tried to hold back a grin, he knew he was right and hugged him for the principle. “I’ll be back in time for lunch – from your spot in the archives, you’ll barely notice I was gone!” he promised.

Shikadai nodded back and gently rubbed Akamaru’s flank before watching them go. Of course he’d be alright, he knew that _for a fact_ , but still, how could he not worry anyway? Kiba as he was now knew things that he wasn’t supposed to, things he hadn’t known back when he’d originally gone on this mission, and what if for some reason it changed its outcome? If anything happened to him, or Shikamaru…he just wouldn’t be able to take it.

Especially knowing it would be his own fault.

He spent his morning with his nose buried in his protector as he looked through the archives, more than once having to reread the same sentence several times because his mind just wasn’t in it, particularly as he checked the clock every few minutes. He couldn’t recall feeling like this before when his parents went on missions. Probably because the only times they’d left on actual dangerous assignments were either when he was too young to know, or when it was so classified he’d had no idea the danger they’d been into until they’d returned.

But he’d always had complete trust in their abilities, and blind faith that they’d come back home. He just had to think like that once more. For a moment, he wondered if that was how parents felt, and if so, it was no wonder he was still regularly treated to hugs when coming back even though he considered himself too old for that. When he’d finally go back to his own time, maybe he wouldn’t fight their embrace – well, at least a couple of times anyway.

About twenty minutes before noon, he couldn’t pretend to be focused anymore and made his way towards the southern gate – from which he knew Kiba had left this morning and would therefore likely come back. Time rolled by even more slowly and he forced himself not to fidget as he sat on a bench, but it was hard not to let his legs jitter with nervous energy. And really, how unnerving was it that he wasn’t strong enough for full-blown training, but managed to have enough energy to be properly nervous?

“You know, I’m no expert, but I think there are easier ways to catch a cold, if that’s what you’re trying to do,” a familiar voice drawled from above him.

For a moment, Shikadai felt mortified that he’d been so concentrated on the gate he hadn’t even sensed – or smelled – Shikamaru getting close to him. It had started snowing very lightly at some point, but he’d barely noticed that too. He was _clearly_ not at his best. “I’m not,” he said back weakly.

“Could’ve fooled me,” the Nara noted, the slightest bit amused – but face still blank, having no idea the other knew him so well he could see right through him.

Shikadai didn’t want to tell him he was waiting for someone – for _Kiba_ – so he changed tactics. “What about you? Finally letting yourself out of that self-imposed exile?”

Shikamaru’s eyebrows shot up, wondering where that sudden cheekiness came from. “Even hermits have to eat,” he said back with the beginning of a smirk. “My friend Chouji can really work a pleading expression.”

The time traveler grinned slightly, toning it down because yeah, he really knew how good Chouji was at tugging on Shikamaru’s soft strings. “Good.”

There was silence for a second longer as Shikamaru wondered what to say, finally sighing. “Look, if you’re not trying to catch a cold, you should really step back inside or something,” he said, trying his hardest to keep his tone disinterested.

The truth was, there was so much he wanted to ask him. According to his father, Shikadai had _two fathers_ , how could he not want to ask him about that?

“It’s okay – I’m like my father: I never get sick!” Shikadai assured him – and it was true, he’d clearly inherited the Inuzukas’ physical resilience, which made his current state all the more annoying. “And if I didn’t catch my death in all these snow-battles my cousins dragged me into, this can’t hurt me,” he added with a grin. Kao and Shisen were _crazy_ and lacked common self-preservation instincts, he’d swear so until the day he died.

Okay, now how was he supposed to let _that_ opportunity slip? “My father mentioned he knows your parents. He seems to think highly of them,” Shikamaru said nonchalantly.

Shikadai raised an eyebrow at this, wondering whether it was a trap – or more precisely, what kind of trap it was, because he knew that expression on his father’s face very well: it was the one where he was interrogating someone. Yet it didn’t seem impossible that Shikaku had said anything to him; he did mention he wanted to have a talk with him to reassure him, so maybe he’d started to bring the subject up by saying that Shikadai had two fathers? Not entirely unlikely.

“Well, both my fathers are amazing shinobi, so I can see why,” he finally replied openly, looking like his guard was completely down.

“Fathers,” Shikamaru repeated despite himself.

Cue innocent face. “Shikaku didn’t tell you? I assumed he did, since you brought it up,” he commented with a shrug. Oh, he’d always loved playing dumb. He knew Shikamaru wanted to ask him more – he didn’t have anyone to talk to about it, at that time, so how could he not want to talk to him?

“He did mention it I just…thought I heard wrong,” the shadow-nin slowly admitted in a quiet voice. “So…you were raised…”

“By two men who’re married, yeah,” Shikadai finished for him, doing his best to communicate to him that it was _no big deal at all_. “Why’re you asking?” he prodded gently.

“No reason,” Shikamaru quickly replied, reverting to his neutral face. “It’s just not your everyday family, so I was a bit surprised.”

Shikadai nodded slowly, holding his look, before finally deciding to cut to the chase. “If there’s anything you want to ask me about them—”

“I should get going, Chouji will start worrying about me,” Shikamaru interrupted him nonchalantly.

“—feel free to do it,” Shikadai concluded anyway. The other shinobi ignored him and waved his hand in farewell, making his way down the street. He sighed as he watched him go, only perking up when a familiar smell finally registered to him and then he didn’t have to wait too long until he saw him walk through the gate.

Kiba sighed fondly and shook his head helplessly as he met his eyes, and promptly did his best to take his leave from his teammates quickly as he walked to him – they weren’t his aunt Hinata and uncle Shino, anyway. “You’re not clingy, huh?” he teased him easily as he reached to ruffle his hair to clear the few snowflakes caught there.

Shikadai frowned as he endeavored to appear insulted instead of embarrassed. “I’m not,” he insisted as he spread his fingers in Akamaru’s fur.

Kiba chuckled as he untied his scarf from his neck and wrapped it over Shikadai’s, ignoring his protests – yes, he did already have a scarf, but he still looked frozen. “Let’s get you warmed up anyway! We’re famished!” he declared as he finished wrapping the warm fabric over his mouth and nose as though to silence any complaints, backed up as usual by Akamaru’s loyal barks.

Not that Shikadai effectively complained about that. He just followed him towards a nearby restaurant, breathing in his scent and being reassured there was no blood on him – well, not _his_ , at any rate, so it was good. As they stepped inside a place he didn’t recognize and therefore was no longer around in his time, he looked up in surprise as he smelled Shikamaru. Looking around, he saw him at a table not far with Chouji, and their eyes met for a second before the other’s gaze slid to Kiba and then back to his friend.

Kiba tugged on his arm as he walked towards a free corner – always best with a nin-dog – and he turned his attention back on him. He knew Kiba had noticed Shikamaru and Chouji were there, and he really wanted to tell him that he’d spoken to Shikamaru, but this didn’t feel like the place to do so, plus he didn’t really have anything to say in the end…

On his side, Shikamaru just frowned internally as he looked at them. He was pretty sure Dai didn’t have two scarves on when they’d spoken, so it stood to reason Kiba had given him his – implying he’d actually been waiting for him. Looking at them out of the corner of his eyes, so as not to be found out, he noted that they seemed quite comfortable together – even the giant nin-dog treated him like a member of the family. Kiba’s wide grin and Dai’s responding falsely annoyed blush struck a chord in him, and he found himself wondering…

Could Dai be…like his fathers? Attracted to men? Was he attracted to Kiba then? It surely made sense, when taking into consideration how he’d been waiting for him, how he acted with him now, and even earlier the first time he’d seen them together, Dai had gotten angry at him for dismissing Kiba, so what more proof could he ask for?

It was strange, watching someone be so at ease with that part of himself.

He wondered whether it was mutual. Kiba acted in a very friendly manner with him, but then again, Kiba acted like that with everyone he liked, personal space was a foreign concept to the Inuzuka clan. But if he really was… _involved_ with Dai…Shikamaru felt almost annoyed and disappointed that he’d never realized this about him, although they’d known each other practically their whole lives.

He wouldn’t know how to take it if it turned out he could’ve had someone to talk to the entire time instead of keeping everything to himself.

But…well…it wasn’t like it was too late now, was it? And his father didn’t seem to have a problem with Dai’s parents’ relationship, so that boded well for him, right? Maybe he should’ve talked to him all along…

* * *

Chouji kept asking him to come along with him and Ino to visit Kurenai, but honestly, after what he’d had to tell her during his last visit, Shikamaru had decided he wouldn’t go again until he had anything worthwhile to report. That Hidan and Kakuzu were dead, specifically. No amount of pleading eyes from Chouji or threatening scowls from Ino could sway him.

That didn’t mean he couldn’t watch from a distance as they visited her.

And as he was doing precisely that, he heard Kiba coming up to him but didn’t leave. “Please tell me they didn’t send you,” he told him right as he opened his mouth.

Kiba closed his mouth and grinned easily. “I’m here on my own – honest!” he assured him. “Well, aside from Akamaru, of course,” he added matter-of-factly, the nin-dog wagging his tail by his side.

The Nara had to smile a bit at this. “Were you going to visit her?” he asked after a few seconds passed in silence.

“Got a few things on my plate right now,” Kiba replied with a shake of his head, slumping down on the ground next to him. “Kurenai would see right through me and worry even more,” he added quietly, frowning at the thought.

For a second, Shikamaru wondered what could ever trouble a free spirit like Kiba Inuzuka, but he respected his privacy so didn’t ask about it – besides, asking people about their problems was like giving them a free pass to ask you about _yours_ , so he preferred silence on both sides.

For another second, he wondered if maybe it had anything to do with Dai, but he didn’t ask about that either. “So why’re you here?” he asked instead.

“Same as you – just checking in from a distance,” the tracker replied with a grin as he leaned back against his nin-dog. “Want to make sure she’s okay. I mean, I know she’s not ‘okay’ – how could she be ‘okay’ right now? But you get my meaning, I’m sure,” he reasoned.

It almost made Shikamaru grin, because he did get his meaning, although he didn’t say anything in reply.

Had it always been so difficult to speak to Kiba? Well, he supposed he’d never really had anything delicate to ask him before. He turned his eyes to him, half-surprised to find him already staring at him, and raised an eyebrow.

Kiba shrugged and looked back ahead, hand absently patting Akamaru.

Was being with Shikamaru always so awkward? Well, he supposed he hadn’t known they’d eventually be happily married when it happened before. Because of that, he couldn’t even really remember what they’d ever talked about in the past. Probably nothing of real consequence, but still. He didn’t like running away, but maybe just this once it would be in the clear interest of self-preservation.

“How’s the chain fainter? Did he come down with that cold in the end?”

Shikamaru’s voice surprised even himself, but he didn’t take the question back and did his best to keep his nonchalant composure.

Kiba just raised an eyebrow at him at first, confused before remembering certain details. “Oh, you mean Dai! He’s…well he didn’t faint again, but…he’s been taking a lot of naps – and I mean _a lot_ , even you would say so.”

It really spoke a lot for his character that he was able to throw in a small jibe even when his tone and expression obviously oozed with worry, Shikamaru thought.

“But what cold though?” the Inuzuka continued as he turned to look at him.

“I saw him by the South gate yesterday – I think he was waiting for someone,” was the reply delivered in a perfectly mastered casual tone.

“Bull-headed pup,” Kiba muttered without any real animosity.

Shikamaru had to raise an eyebrow at his choice of words, because it was really unlikely he’d call his romantic interest ‘pup’, right? Unless that was an Inuzuka thing – so not _entirely_ out of the question, really. “Have you known him for a long time?” he asked despite himself.

“Not really. But he’s family, so ‘how long’ is relative – and not that important,” Kiba replied easily.

“Family,” the Nara repeated, humming at the other’s nod. So there was clearly nothing romantic between them, then. He had no idea why he felt relieved at the thought and refused to dwell on it. “Do you know his parents? My father seems to think highly of them, but I have no idea who they are,” he added with a shrug.

Kiba leaned his head back against Akamaru and wondered how to reply to that. Was that how Dai felt during every conversation? Cautious of his every word, wanting to blurt out things that he _couldn’t_?

He wasn’t exactly bad at lying, but he hated it – he thought it useless, most of the time, so he didn’t like to bother. So he settled for a half-truth. “Well, yeah, I know about them – haven’t actually met them in person,” he finally said carefully, adding a ‘not exactly’ in his mind.

“He can use his nose,” Shikamaru murmured before connecting more dots. “His father’s an Inuzuka, isn’t he? Well… _one_ of them is, right?”

Kiba shared a quick look with his nin-dog and did his best to remain distant and non-committal. If he didn’t know any better, he’d say Shikamaru was trying to ask him something else. “Yeah, s’why he’s good with nin-dogs, too,” he added with a fond smile as he stroked Akamaru’s head. “But they’re not…I mean he’s…alone, right now,” he said more sadly.

“Oh,” Shikamaru understood as he looked back ahead. So that was why he was suddenly staying with distant relatives out of the blue? Because he’d recently lost his parents? What to say to that? “Sorry to hear that,” he offered eventually.

“He’s a tough guy,” Kiba reassured him easily. And he wouldn’t rest until he knew he was safe.

Shikamaru nodded back and didn’t ask anything else after that, simply pondered over what he’d just learned.

Kiba for his part felt really conflicted about the conversation, feeling like he was lying to him just by keeping certain…filiations a secret. Of course, it wasn’t his secret to tell in the first place, but…

Shikadai was in his space and sniffing him up the minute he stepped back into the Inuzuka household. Neither his mother nor his sister were home, he could tell.

“You were with him,” he almost accused him, a spark of amusement, curiosity and worry flashing in his eyes.

Kiba laughed at the situation, reaching to ruffle his hair fondly. “If you must know, yes I was – and before you ask, _no_ , nothing happened,” he quickly spoke, effectively cutting off the other’s line of questioning before it could even begin. “But he did ask a few questions about _your parents_ ,” he admitted with a frown.

“He did?” Shikadai immediately asked as his head snapped back to him. “What did you tell him?” he asked worriedly.

“I kept it really vague, don’t worry,” Kiba reassured him easily. “Although…I might’ve implied that you’re _alone_ – no idea what he’s made of that, but don’t act too shocked if he ends up offering you condolences the next time you meet,” he added as he thumped his shoulder on his way to the kitchen.

The time traveler frowned as he tried to determine whether that was a good thing or not. Coming to the conclusion that it wasn’t exactly _bad_ , he moved to follow his father. “What did he want to know?”

Kiba blinked in surprise as he looked at him, and it hit him in that instant how similar to Shikamaru he was – they had that same look on their face when they wanted to ask about something but asked about something else. “If I knew your parents. I told him I knew _about_ them, but then I sort of blurted out the ‘alone’ part and nothing much was said after that,” he relayed as he leaned back against the counter. “Now ask me what you _really_ want to ask me,” he said knowingly.

Shikadai’s eyes widened slightly and he shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets. “I don’t really…” he trailed off as the other simply crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow, and for a second the image was almost painful, it reminded him so much of his own Kiba. “Did you feel anything…while talking to him?” he mumbled.

“Something like nervousness about saying something too much?” Kiba asked back with a huff, running a hand through his hair as he removed his forehead protector. “I gotta admit that knowing we could fall in love – _will_ fall in love, I guess – makes it actually _harder_ to talk to him. That particular knowledge being limited to me doesn’t really help, either,” he admitted honestly.

Shikadai’s face almost fell at this. He hadn’t thought about this possibility. Could a genuine, strong relationship be born between them if they acted like they thought they should because of what they knew? But if that was the case then…simply by _being_ there, by having spoken to them…had he irremediably changed his own life, maybe even condemned himself to never be born? Was there even a point in him going back home, if that was the case?

“Hey, _relax_ , you hear me?” Kiba asked him as he walked to grab his shoulders in his hands, having obviously read his worry. “Now whatever thoughts you’re thinking, you stop thinking them right now! There is _nothing_ I wouldn’t do to ensure your survival,” he told him seriously as he held his look. “If that’s what it takes, once you’re back in your own time I’ll even have Inoichi erase you from my memory so I can act natural around Shikamaru again,” he added, only half-jokingly.

Shikadai snorted at this, grinning the slightest bit before frowning once more as the words truly registered. “Do you really mean that?” he asked him worriedly.

Kiba sighed as he pulled him closer and gently pat his back. “Let’s hope it won’t come to that,” he muttered into his hair. “Now that I know you, it would kill me to forget about you.”

“Your dying would sort of be inconvenient for me too,” Shikadai chuckled back against him.

“We’ll keep that as the back-up plan,” the tracker assured him confidently. “In the meantime, I think that to keep things from getting even more complicated, we’d best both try to steer clear from Shikamaru, deal?”

Shikadai didn’t like it, but he understood the reasoning behind that request. “Deal,” he agreed with a sigh. After all, he had enough going on already, and if even Kiba, who was usually such a rock, felt this rattled, then it was indeed for the best not to drag Shikamaru down with them as well.

He’d thought so before, but it was really official now.

Time travel sure _sucked_.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shikadai might come accross as clingy, but it's my opinion (and experience, personally) that when you're somewhere unfamiliar, the moment you're handed something that reminds you of home, you cling to it like crazy. For him, right now, that's Kiba.


	6. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the feedback :)  
> Feeling so happy...

* * *

**Chapter 5**

* * *

When the dreaded day of team 10’s confrontation with Akatsuki finally came, Shikadai realized that staying put was much, _much_ easier said than done. He held on for as long as he could, he really did. But it was killing him inside, especially when despite himself he’d started having doubts.

“I can’t do it,” he declared finally as he stood and made his way for the exit. “I can’t wait anymore!”

“Hey, hey, hey! Not so fast!” Kiba called back as he reached for his arm and turned him around, placing his hands on his shoulders. “I understand that you’re worried, but you told me yourself that this ends well, right?”

This wasn’t enough to placate him. “Yeah, but…”

“Look,” Kiba started once more in an even gentler tone. “I think if there’s one thing we both know about Shikamaru, it’s that his plans are thought through right down to the smallest detail – if we barged in right now we might end up messing everything up and endangering him!” he said reasonably, frowning as something else occurred to him. “Besides, if that Hidan guy is really linked to your being here, I don’t think it’s safe for you to be anywhere near him until he’s 100% subdued,” he added seriously, truly worried at the prospect.

Shikadai bit his lips as he held his look, trying to find words to explain that gnawing fear he felt in his stomach. “I know that, but…I’ve been thinking, and what if…what if my being here is set in time? What if dad won because _I_ was there to help?”

The Inuzuka frowned at this, cocking his head to the side. “What, something like…your being sent back in time was already part of the past?” At the other’s hesitant nod, he let out a sigh. “I may not be the sharpest kunai in the holster, but I think I’d remember having met my son in my youth, and I’d tell you about it so you knew what to expect – and how to come back!” he told him with a raised eyebrow.

Actually, in all honesty, he’d more likely lock his son up in his room during that entire month – or possibly, _year_ – to ensure it wouldn’t happen in the first place, but that was neither here nor there at the moment.

Shikadai sighed deeply at this, having to concede the point. “I know, that’s the part I’m still stumped about,” he admitted. “Unless…unless you really did it and erased your memories so you wouldn’t risk changing the future by knowing too much,” he continued, determined to explain himself.

Yeah, he’d said something like that half-jokingly, but was that the accepted theory now?

“I won’t even pretend that I get all of that,” Kiba replied as he gently tapped his knuckles to his head, looking into his eyes. “But I can’t say _no_ to you, can I?” he then wondered needlessly.

“You never could!” Shikadai declared with a wide grin, nodding at him as they left towards the Nara forest. He only hoped they’d make it in time – and in time to _help_ , not to make a gigantic mess of things.

* * *

Shikamaru cursed as he felt his hold diminish as his reserves were dying out – that guy had an impossible amount of chakra, in fact every aspect of him was simply impossible! He just needed another step…just one more step back, and he’d be right on top of his trap, and it would work out like it was supposed to, and Asuma would be avenged, and he could finally stop feeling like that— _just one more step_!

He felt his control slipping though, fought against it as hard as he could, watched the shadow thin out and retreat as he kept repeating ‘ _no, no, no’_ in his head – but there was no delaying what was coming.

He was going to fail, and he was going to die, and then Hidan would go after Ino and Chouji and Kakashi, and they would die too, all because he’d overestimated himself. He saw the shadow wither and closed his eyes to accept the inevitable, but it didn’t come.

Instead, he saw a familiar looking tornado – two of them, actually – come between him and the Akatsuki member, forcing Hidan to jump back and right into someone else’s trap – another Nara clansmen, from the way the shadowy hand promptly wrapped up his body and over his mouth to silence him.

Shikamaru’s eyes widened as he recognized Dai, while Kiba and Akamaru jumped back to stand before him to guard him. “How…?”

“Explanations later! Now where do you want him?” Dai barked back, holding fast even as he felt his strength slipping.

Shikamaru noticed that, but filed it in a corner of his mind for later and concentrated back on the battle. “There, on the middle of that mound!” he called back, eyes riveted on the mysterious shinobi as he nodded and turned his eyes back to their opponent, standing and forcing him to mimic him, finally taking those steps back. “Can you use the shadows to ensnare him with the wires?” he asked with a frown, not sure to what point he mastered these techniques.

Dai grit his teeth but nodded, joining his hands back together to make slivers of shadows reach for the wires and entangle his prey.

“Hold him just a second longer!” Shikamaru called as he pulled out a kunai and threw it to activate his trap, watching with satisfaction as it sprung into place. “You can let go now!” he told the other, absently noting that Kiba helped him on Akamaru’s back as he collapsed slightly. He then activated all the layers of the setup and watched as the immortal man blew up in several pieces which fell at the bottom of the hole before being buried by the falling rubble – and Hidan _still_ kept yelling at him throug it all!

“Well _that_ was seriously weird – and _smelly_ ,” Kiba commented pragmatically as he wriggled his nose before reaching to ruffle the medic’s hair. “You were actually right!”

Shikadai absently swatted his hand away and tried not to let his eyes droop closed – and he really hoped this fatigue would go away once he’d be back in his own time, this was really becoming annoying! But at least his father was unharmed – he didn’t smell any blood on him.

“I don’t even know where to start with the two of you!” Shikamaru commented angrily with a frown as he walked to them, shoving his hands in his pockets. “You could’ve been seriously hurt – and by that, I mean _permanently_ so!”

“It’s a long story that can’t be summarized,” Kiba replied honestly, not trying to avoid the conversation but just thinking there was a time a place for such things. “From what I can smell, Naruto and Captain Yamato joined the fray, so I doubt you need to worry about the second Akatsuki member, but you should still let your team know you’re alive! Plus Sakura and Sai are on their way with Kakashi’s tracking nin-dog, we should really hightail it out of here before he gets a whiff of us!” Absently, he moved to pull Shikadai’s protector higher to cover his nose, grinning as he automatically relaxed.

“Didn’t he catch our scents already?” Dai wondered worriedly, muffled voice sounding weak.

“Wind’s in our favor, not his,” Kiba replied matter-of-factly. “But that’ll only work so long.”

Shikamaru just watched them like a puzzle the likes of which he’d never even known existed before. Yes, he had things to do but…but _then_ , he’d really need to have a talk with them. “I’ll drop by your house later, get ready to _talk_ ,” he informed him warningly before they left, and then turned to regroup with his team.

At the back of his mind, something however kept replaying itself.

He hadn’t imagined it: Dai had controlled his shadow – even using the shadow hand quite masterfully. With Nara techniques.

Besides…this place…wasn’t this the spot where his father mentioned he’d actually _found_ him, almost a week ago?

Just… _who_ was he really?

* * *

“ _That_ was pretty stupid,” Kaoru declared simply, very much unimpressed, as they returned to the Inuzuka household. They’d taken their time, too, to give the time-traveler a chance to recover.

Kiba strangely grinned at this, because he could really count on his hands the number of times his father had actually acted like an authoritative parental figure. “Shikadai has this theory that maybe his traveling to the past was always part of our lives, and that Shikamaru won that fight _because_ we helped him,” he explained as he stretched his arms behind his head.

“I’ll admit I was mostly worried, but when we got there he was seriously in a pinch!” Shikadai added with a frown.

“Well, what’s done is done,” the Anbu declared with a sigh, not really feeling up to lecturing them about it anyway. They were old enough to handle the consequences of their actions in his eyes. “So does he know as well now?” he then wondered.

The two shared a look and shrugged. “Not sure…”

Kaoru nodded and then frowned as he spoke more quietly. “And Hidan? Is he where he’s supposed to be?”

“Yes,” Kiba replied, wriggling his nose as he remembered the smell. “But I’m telling you, that man isn’t normal. He was still talking _after having been blown to bits_. If he’s really involved, I’m liking this less and less,” he told him seriously, shooting his son a worried look.

Kaoru sighed as he had to admit he didn’t like their odds either. “I’ll speak to Shikaku and Inoichi as soon as possible – we need to adapt our contingency measures if we’re really going to dig him up piece by piece.” They’d assumed he’d be in one piece, after all.

“When are we doing this?” Shikadai asked him urgently.

The Anbu sighed instead of replying right away. “Problem is, with two Akatsuki members taken out in such a small area, you can bet all you want that the place is already buzzing with Special Anbu forces in case more Akatsuki members show up to get rid of the bodies. And if that doesn’t happen, they’ll want to study the corpses themselves – Kakuzu’s mostly, I doubt they’d be stupid enough to dig up Hidan, but they’ll definitely send a sensor to check on him anyway,” he explained.

“Yeah, only _we’re_ ‘smart’ enough to dig him up!” Kiba couldn’t help but comment.

Kaoru chuckled in amusement and then crossed his arms over his chest, sobering up. “Point is, we need to wait until they’re gone – even _we_ won’t be able to get away with a vague dismissal if someone catches us around,” he said seriously, referring to Shikaku, Inoichi and himself.

“So we’re back to _waiting_ despite being so close?” Shikadai couldn’t help but exclaim in frustration.

“Don’t think I’m happy about it,” his grandfather replied with a raised eyebrow. “Then again, _now_ is the time to be more patient than ever – you wouldn’t want your presence to be discovered when we’re so close, would you?” he asked back needlessly.

The other two shared a look and sighed, having to concede the point.

Kiba looked up then, nose twitching, and turned to his father. “Shikamaru’s on his way – Shikaku’s with him,” he related with a tilt of the head.

Shikadai nodded to show he’d heard him as he felt himself tense up and almost feel sick. He hadn’t felt like that with Kiba, probably because he knew that he would believe him, that the scents would speak for themselves.

But Shikamaru was a pragmatic man, and as repeatedly mentioned, he was a bit of a jerk, plus he wasn’t okay with being attracted to men yet, so he might just deny the truth. “Stay with me,” he asked Kiba before he could help himself, smiling warmly as the other shinobi just grinned and reached to bump their shoulders together.

Kaoru grinned as he looked at them but mercifully didn’t comment – for once.

“Well, this is quite the gathering,” Shikamaru noted as he reached them, Shikaku trailing just a couple of steps behind him. “Something you all want to tell me?” This was looking more like a conspiracy by the minute.

Kiba frowned as he saw how anxious Shikadai was and how he remained silent as he pressed his leg closer to Akamaru – and how awesome was it that his son was so attached to his nin-dog? Figuring that was a talk probably best had without their fathers present, he cleared his throat. “Dad, Shikaku, how about leaving that one to us?”

Besides, they could get started on that contingency plan in the meantime.

Shikaku raised an eyebrow while Kaoru laughed. “You’re not really _asking_ though, right?” he noted fondly as he lightly punched his shoulder. “Whatever you say!” he added before he could reply, vanishing not even a second later.

The Nara patriarch for his part observed them for a short moment before finally agreeing as well, lingering to place a hand on his son’s shoulder. “I promise you this is the truth. I’ll be in my office if you want to talk about it,” he told him simply before nodding at the other two and leaving as well.

Shikamaru frowned at their weird behavior and his father’s (more than usual) cryptic words as he turned back to them. “I’m starting to think I really won’t like whatever it is you’re about to tell me,” he noted as neutrally as he could.

Kiba chuckled slightly and then nudged the other shinobi encouragingly.

“My name’s not Dai Itoda,” Shikadai began, looking briefly into Kiba’s reassuring eyes before continuing. “It’s Shikadai Nara.”

“Yeah, the Nara part you made obvious enough when you captured an Akatsuki member with your shadow!” the shadow-nin replied in the less strained tone he could muster in his current mood. Half-Nara, half-Inuzuka? What a mix…

But how did he not know about a male Inuzuka marrying into the Nara clan _to another male_? And why would he lie about his name? Come to think of it, why would his father, Kiba, and others support that façade of being ‘Dai Itoda’?

Shikadai scowled at him, muttering about ‘jerk teenagers’ under his breath, snapping back to the moment upon hearing Kiba’s amused chuckle. “I’m from the future,” he continued without preamble.

“The future,” Shikamaru repeated without much conviction – he’d been doing that a lot recently, hadn’t he? But was such a far-fetched theory really the only way to explain all those things that made so little sense?

“Yeah, twenty-seven years ahead, exactly. And don’t ask me ‘why’ or ‘how’ I got here, because I have no idea and it’s already driving me crazy!” the time-traveler added defensively. It was easier to act defensive rather than regret not having told him sooner, he figured.

“Wasn’t going to,” Shikamaru drawled. He actually planned on asking his father those particular questions.

“And I’m…I’m…” Shikadai trailed off at this, finding it much harder than he’d figured. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea after all. They didn’t need to tell him _everything_ , right? Knowing the truth somehow hurt Kiba, it was more than enough.

Kiba sighed as he looked at him, mind made up as Dai shot him a helpless look. “He’s my son,” he said for him, stepping the slightest bit in front of him.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at this, clearly unsure what to make of them. If that was true, then he’d definitely been off on their relationship. And looking at them like this, side by side, if he forgot all about logic, he could actually see the resemblance – the eyes, mostly.

 “Yours too,” Shikadai finally said, holding his breath for his answer.

Shikamaru surveyed him quietly and then looked down.

_He’s a Nara, he knows our techniques, he knows the way I fight…but he can use his nose…then there’s his name…and my father’s helping him…not to mention his perfect timing during that battle, as though he knew what was going to happen…and I’d never seen nor heard about him until a few days ago…_

His frown deepened as he factually listed all points in his head. When he spoke, it was with an even voice. “If this wasn’t impossible, I’d almost feel inclined to believe you.”

Kiba raised both eyebrows in surprise as Shikadai’s shoulders slumped. “ _That’s_ your reaction? That’s all you can say?” he asked him as he frowned incredulously.

“Well what did you expect me to do or say?” Shikamaru asked back, feeling at a loss.

“I don’t know—praise my skills? Hug me? Ask me if I’m happy? If you’re a good father?” Shikadai listed before crossing his arms over his chest and shrugging his head at Kiba. “That’s what _he_ did!”

This had the merit of causing Shikamaru to lose his composure for a moment as he trailed his eyes to Kiba, who looked at the other shinobi with some amusement at his outburst. “So you really believe him?” he asked his friend before he could help himself.

Kiba opened his mouth to reply but Shikadai beat him to it. “What would I gain by pretending something like that? I’ve had nothing but problems since I woke up in that blasted time! Kiba believed me because _he’s_ a good father!” he informed him bitingly. At Shikamaru’s mildly surprised expression, he groaned and threw his arms in the air in exasperation before storming off. “Forget it—I don’t even want to talk to you anymore! Come on Akamaru!”

The nin-dog turned to his master inquisitively and waited for his nod before promptly following the pup, barking happily.

“Don’t tell me you actually believe this?” Shikamaru repeated with a raised eyebrow when the tense silence became too much to handle.

Kiba merely raised an eyebrow at him, crossing his arms behind his head. “Scents don’t lie, and neither do memories – which were confirmed by Inoichi, and we both know he wouldn’t be fooled by an illusion!” he needlessly pointed out. “What’s really bugging you here? The time travel? Or the implications if what he says is true? That you and me makes three?” The way he asked this was casual, but there was a glint in his eyes betraying his perceptiveness.

Shikamaru huffed at this, burrowing his hands deeper into his pockets. “Like that’s even possible…” he muttered to cover his embarrassment.

“Hana’s his biological mother, I’m factually speaking his _uncle_ – so yeah, _possible_ ,” the Inuzuka informed him matter-of-factly, starting to agree with his son’s point of view that he was behaving like a jerk. “Never mind, don’t take my word for it. You’ve got your father, the jounin commander, Inoichi, the head of the sensor division and my father, an Anbu, believing him and doing their best to get him back home – ask _them_.”

Absently, Shikamaru noted that the man who was there earlier was therefore Kiba’s father, and visibly the Anbu Dai had been hanging around with, but he filed these details for a later time. First, he needed to have that talk with his own father. “I will,” was all he said before turning to leave the Inuzuka clan grounds.

He’d just started accepting that maybe he wouldn’t necessarily be treading unknown roads alone if he really let himself be honest about who he felt attracted to. Speaking to his father, maybe even speaking to Kiba had seemed like things he just might do, once all this business with Hidan would be settled. Now though…he wasn’t sure he could ever look Kiba in the eyes anymore…

“Shikamaru! If you still won’t believe it after that, don’t bother coming back,” Kiba called back seriously, causing him to stop. “Being here, it’s…it’s doing something to him; he’s not fully okay, no matter how hard he tries to pretend otherwise for our sakes. So he doesn’t need your negativity,” he finished plainly.

Shikamaru frowned but didn’t turn around – it was too strange to be told off this seriously by Kiba.

Too strange, and yet, not entirely dislikable.

* * *

Shikaku didn’t look up from his desk as his son walked into his office. He first let him calm down as he sat down, waiting for him to speak.

“So were you ever planning on telling me my son’s visiting from the future?” Shikamaru finally asked him sarcastically, but without much bite as he was too tired.

“He’s not ‘visiting’,” Shikaku replied evenly as he raised his eyes to him. “Trust me, he wishes he were still back home and has been tirelessly rummaging through the archives to find a way to achieve that – when he’s not busy saving your life, that is.”

Shikamaru hummed noncommittally and frowned as his eyes fixed a scratch on the lower left side of the commander’s desk. “Kiba said…it’s hurting him, being here…”

Shikaku’s expression darkened as he let out a sigh. “Yes, it’s true, although we can’t figure out what’s wrong with him. Physically and mentally he’s fine, but he’s always exhausted, like he just can’t quite recuperate.”

“So you believe him?” Shikamaru asked his father as he finally looked up at him.

“Yes,” the patriarch replied without a doubt as he held his look. “Inoichi guaranteed he’s telling the truth. And neither Kiba nor Akamaru would be fooled by fake scents – no amount of genjutsu savvy would allow for that.”

“Then why didn’t you _tell_ me? Don’t you think I had a right to know? You told _Kiba_!”

Therein laid the sting, really: that he was visibly the last to know.

“Kiba figured it out on his own because of the scents and confronted Shikadai,” Shikaku tempered with a chuckle. “Knowing something like that about his own future had a big impact on him, although he handled it rather well. But we still thought it would be best to limit the number of people in the know – so as not to impact the future.”

Shikamaru nodded slowly, though only slightly placated. Letting out a deep sigh, he allowed his mind to entertain the notion now, carefully wrapping itself around the idea and its implications. “It must’ve been a shock to you…” he started quietly, frowning. “That I’d…marry a man.”

Shikaku sighed and got up to walk around his desk, leaning back against it right in front of him. “Not really,” he admitted, smiling slightly at his son’s surprised look as his head snapped to him. “I noticed. I just figured it would be best if you told me in your own time. Besides, you visibly did very well for yourself!” he added teasingly – he really couldn’t help himself, besides…he should enjoy these moments while he was still there, right?

“Just great…” Shikamaru muttered unhappily – mostly for show though, because on the inside he felt immensely relieved.

“He’s a good kid, you know – Shikadai,” Shikaku continued with a warm grin. “He’s got a good head on his shoulders, and the right values. Lesser shinobi would have broken under the strain brought by this level of unknown, but not him. He still has the strength to look for a way out _and_ worry about you and Kiba.” And he was so very proud of him.

“Is there anything I can do to help him?” Shikamaru asked quietly, feeling slightly bad for the way he’d treated him so far, looking up as his father placed his hands on his shoulders.

“For now, just go home and rest – you look like hell. Then tomorrow, throw away those smokes before you go to him, where the only thing you have to do is show him that your ‘jerk phase’ was only that – a _phase_ , and that it’s over and you’re there for him,” Shikaku said seriously with an encouraging smile.

“My ‘jerk phase’?” Shikamaru couldn’t help but repeat with a raised eyebrow.

“It’s what he calls your emotional crisis,” Shikaku explained. “Kiba defended you though,” he couldn’t help but add, enjoying the way his eyes widened the slightest bit in surprise.

“You’re so troublesome,” the shadow-nin was forced to declare as he stood and turned around to hide his smile and embarrassment. “I’ll see you around.”

Shikaku chuckled as he watched him go, letting out an amused sigh. Perhaps Shikamaru could make a difference, who knew? At the very least, it would undoubtedly be good for Shikadai's spirit, because his state was starting to seriously worry him – he shouldn’t have been that tired just from immobilizing Hidan for barely a few seconds. They had to find a way to send him back; otherwise, he feared the worst…

Right outside his father's office, Shikamaru paused in his steps as he saw two shinobi blocking his path. Inoichi, he knew. The man next to him…he recognized as having been at the Inuzuka household – Kiba had called him ‘dad’, but his cheeks were devoid of red triangles, they were on his wrists instead.

“Hey, name’s Kaoru Inuzuka – you can call me ‘dad’,” he introduced himself easily, sporting a decidedly Inuzuka-ish grin.

Shikamaru mentally thought that _that_ wasn’t about to happen just yet, but kept that to himself.

“Kaoru told me about what happened,” Inoichi took over more calmly. “If there is anything you wish to know, please don’t hesitate.”

What else was there to do in this case, Shikamaru wondered as he stepped closer to him.

“Then show me – _everything_.”

* * *

Over at the Inuzuka household, Kiba did his best not to chuckle openly when he found Shikadai half-leaning over Akamaru with his arms crossed - he really looked like a mix between a lazy Nara and an Inuzuka. "Give him some time," he advised easily as he crouched down to be at his level.

Shikadai frowned at him, only replying with a 'hmpf'.

This time Kiba did chuckle. "You realize it's not exactly something that happens every day, right? And don't you dare say that I didn't have those issues - I had plenty of time to panic and eventually accept the notion before confronting you," he reminded him with a raised eyebrow.

Shikadai did raise his head at this, sullen mood mellowing. "I didn't mean to storm off like that - I know it's a lot to take in," he admitted, annoyed with himself.

Akamaru whined something that had Kiba laughing, and at the other's raised eyebrow, he dutifully translated, "He said something about pots and kettles."

The time-traveler pouted at the nin-dog but had to concede the point - he'd acted like a jerk. "Do you think I should talk to him?"

"Definitely," Kiba confirmed without a second's hesitation. "But not today. Let it settle - give him time to digest everything that happened," he added seriously.

Dai nodded, feeling relieved. Actually, knowing his father as he did, it was probably best to let him come to _him_ , actually.

Back to waiting then...

...except this he could actually look forward to.

* * *

 


	7. Chapter 6

* * *

**Chapter 6**

* * *

To say that Shikamaru had slept well that night wouldn’t exactly be an accurate statement. The physical exhaustion from his fight coupled with the relief of having finally avenged Asuma had ended up triumphing over his mulling mind though, and so he’d slept – dreamlessly, and for a long while.

When he woke up, he didn’t really feel rested. No longer shut down by sleep, his mind was once more free to roam over what he’d learned, and he felt a headache coming along swiftly. Then he briefly wondered if it had been a dream – but no, his imagination wasn’t _that_ overly rampant, at least he liked to think it wasn’t.

He had a son.

With _Kiba_.

He felt a bit young to have an existential crisis, but it sure felt like one.

Yet surprisingly, something else quickly took over from dread and the feeling of being overwhelmed.

 _Excitement_.

The night before, Inoichi had shown him proof, and despite what he’d thought, he actually hadn’t been prepared for what he’d seen.

A happy marriage, a happy child, a happy household – he hadn’t just ‘done well’ for himself, he’d fulfilled dreams so abstract he’d never even really dared _dream_ them!

He didn’t even find it in him to be annoyed when his father just grinned at him knowingly.

However as he later stood in front of the door to the archives, where he knew Shikadai had been since early that morning, for a moment he wavered and took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Being confronted to a _physical_ proof was slightly overwhelming. But there was no doubt the other had likely already picked up on his scent, so he had to stop stalling.

As he walked in, Shikadai looked up at him apprehensively for a second before turning his eyes back to the scroll he was examining. “I wasn’t sure you’d show up,” he said neutrally.

“I wasn’t either,” Shikamaru admitted honestly, feeling relieved when it seemed to be the good tactic as the other shinobi looked back up at him hopefully. “I’m sorry I’ve been acting like a jerk – you haven’t exactly seen me at my best,” he started as he moved to sit down in front of him.

“I’m sorry I snapped at you last night,” Shikadai replied as he looked down, fighting a stubborn blush. “You had a difficult day and I had no right to demand specific reactions out of you after springing something like that.”

Shikamaru sighed at this, shaking his head. “Please don’t apologize. I shouldn’t have taken my disbelief out on you.”

“Do you still doubt me?” Shikadai wondered with a frown, eyes narrowing.

“You have to admit it’s quite the tale!” the older Nara said with another sigh. “It’s just…I honestly never imagined I’d actually do what I’ve always wanted and be with a man – never mind marrying him and having a kid…! I didn’t think it _could_ be real…” he explained himself.

Shikadai relaxed as he absently toyed with his protector. “But it is. You told me once that before dad you’d just figured you’d ignore your feelings,” he remembered with a shrug. “So isn’t it a good thing to find out that you _didn’t_?”

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at this – the conversation was strange enough without even taking into account that _Kiba_ would be his other half. “Yes, of course – but more than that it’s overwhelming.” Silence followed this admission, as though just saying as much had actually overwhelmed him all over again.

“So…aren’t you going to ask me anything?” the time-traveler wondered curiously after the silence stretched on.

“I wouldn’t even know where to start!” the shadow-nin admitted with a huff. And Inoichi had showed him enough – _too much_ , even, in a sense. “Well…is there…anything you wish were inherently different? Anything you wish I did otherwise?” he wondered with a shrug – after all, they’d already started off on the wrong foot, might as well get all criticisms out of the way, right?

Shikadai cocked his head to the side and then slowly shook it. “Not really. I mean, yeah – I’d have liked to have a sibling, but I realize you couldn’t really go back to aunt Hana and say, ‘hey, can we borrow your uterus again?’”

Shikamaru couldn’t help but chuckle at this before something else occurred to him. “Please reassure me – I didn’t…”

“Sleep with her?” Shikadai finished knowingly with a frown. “ _No_.”

“Good,” he noted in relief, thinking about what more to ask. Truthfully, he _didn’t_ know where to start: there was too much he wanted to know, but the questions died in his throat for some reason. And he couldn’t ask him about…Kiba. He just didn’t feel capable (yet). “So…what do you like to do?”

“Nap,” Shikadai replied immediately, to which they both shared a chuckle.

Shikamaru’s grin widened at this, as it was definitely something he could relate to! “What about shogi? Did I teach you?” he asked, trying to find more in common with him.

“Yeah, but that’s not really my thing,” Shikadai replied with a shrug. “I mean we still play regularly enough, but it was more fun when I was a kid and dad played with us!” he added with a grin.

“Kiba plays shogi?” the Nara couldn’t help but wonder.

“He’s not crazy about it either – but he used to act like he didn’t know the rules so that we’d _learn together_ when I didn’t want to play,” Shikadai explained, grinning warmly. “He’d sit me down in his lap and pretend to get the rules all wrong so I’d correct him and play on my own. We’d discuss strategies to beat you while you acted like you didn’t hear us. To my horror, it took me a few years to realize I was being completely played, but the three of us did have fun playing like that, so I pretended not to notice – while the two of you probably pretended not to notice I’d noticed!” he finished brightly.

Shikamaru smiled genuinely at this, because it was obvious from his tone and his expressions that he’d had a happy life, and it made him happier than he could’ve ever imagined.

The time-traveler paused for a moment, looking up at him hesitantly before sighing. “I didn’t mean it, you know…when I implied you’re not a good father,” he admitted quietly, ashamed of his outburst. The other Nara blinked at him and he sighed once more. “When I said that Kiba believed me because _he’s_ a good father?” he reminded him.

“Oh, _that_ ,” Shikamaru noted with a nod, uncertain as he looked at him. “Well, I’d say in this matter he _was_ better,” he tempered honestly.

Shikadai frowned, not looking satisfied with this. “I was still out of line. Besides, we sort of dumped this on you with remarkably crappy timing, so you were right to be skeptical.” He then opened his mouth, closed it, and finally said, with a small grin, “You’re an excellent father.”

…Seriously. How would they _not_ end up thinking he was a complete and total daddy’s boy?

Shikamaru felt his chest tighten painfully at this, and he had to admit it felt _amazing_. Looking at the shinobi who was in front of him, listening to him, all he could think was: damn, they’d visibly done a good job as parents – and who’d have known, right? That he and Kiba, _together_ , could have such an amazing kid?

And now that he allowed himself to view him as such, the physical similarities between them literally jumped out at him like punches. “You look just like Kiba when you grin,” he found himself saying out loud. “But you look like me when you scowl,” he was forced to concede with a chuckle.

Shikadai blushed slightly and shrugged defensively. “Well you _are_ my parents…” he muttered.

Despite how crazy that statement sounded, Shikamaru found himself smiling genuinely at it. It raised all manners of other questions in him though, and he found he couldn’t quite stifle them anymore. “So…then…I mean…I know children usually don’t like to think of their parents as a _couple_ – I know _I’m_ like that too – but would you say…that Kiba and me…we’re…happy?” he finally asked, knowing he probably looked beet red and willing himself not to care.

Shikadai pouted slightly and looked to the side – those two were hopeless romantics through and through, weren’t they?

“He makes you laugh,” he found himself saying – because that was one thing he’d always noticed about his parents, even as a child. “You grin, and smirk, and chuckle, and smile a lot, to a lot of people, but not counting children and the funny-stupid things they say, only dad can make you really laugh out loud.” It had never ceased to amaze him, too, the ease with which Kiba did it, and his own satisfied fond smile when he succeeded.

Shikamaru chuckled softly as he could actually picture that – and rather liked it. “Let me guess – up next you’ll say that only _I_ can make him frown for real?” he teased him easily.

Shikadai laughed at this and held up a finger. “Actually, that’s pretty accurate – although in all fairness, you share that particular privilege with me!” he confessed modestly before smiling more softly. “But you’re the only one he’ll show when he’s not feeling well – even in front of me, or Akamaru, he’s always done everything in his power to keep us from worrying.”

It was annoying, at times, that determination not to show any weakness – as though somehow, Kiba was afraid that if he wasn’t his usual cheery self, people around him would crumble.

Shikamaru felt somehow touched at this, because even now he knew for a fact that Kiba absolutely hated worrying the people he cared about – he was the type of person who’d face anything with a smile in place only to cheer up his loved ones; and it really couldn’t be held against him, effectively.

Clearly, they balanced each other out. And part of him wondered if it was wrong to look forward to something so much when only a day before he’d been denying even the possibility.

* * *

When Shikamaru visited the Inuzuka household later that day in the early evening – after he’d been powerless to say no to Shikadai’s offer to come over for dinner – he found Shikadai taking a nap half on top of Akamaru, while Kiba cleaned his equipment next to them. For a second, he felt himself tense up because suddenly he wasn’t so sure he was ready to face the tracker on his own, but he didn’t want to show any weakness, so he carried on with his usual apparent air of nonchalance.

“Hey,” he said quietly as he walked up to the trio.

“Hey,” Kiba said back easily, shrugging his head towards the ground in front of him and offering him a small grin. “He told me the two of you talked it out this morning.”

“Yeah…sorry about yesterday,” Shikamaru felt compelled to apologize, even though as he’d expected, the Inuzuka merely shrugged off his apology. “How is he?” he then asked as he looked at the sleeping Shikadai.

“Time for the pup’s daily nap,” Kiba replied with forced cheer, making him chuckle nonetheless.

Shikamaru nodded back slowly, frowning slightly as it really wasn’t reassuring to see him worry like that. Shikadai turned slightly in sleep, burying his nose even deeper into the nin-dog’s fur, and the Nara resolutely told himself that Kiba’s smile at this sight didn’t do anything to him. Desperate for a subject to fill the silence, he cleared his throat slightly.

“Kiba? I’m curious about something he said – back when he first saw me,” he started, waiting for the other shinobi to turn his attention on him before continuing. “He said I smell wrong. What did he mean? Don’t people keep their scent?” he wondered curiously, looking over at the very subject of their conversation (he still couldn’t bring himself to say ‘their son’, even in his thoughts) as he lay soundly asleep against the nin-dog – a spot he was very visibly used to.

Kiba grinned automatically as he briefly followed his gaze and hummed as he wondered how to best explain it. “It’s hard to describe it when you’re not used to smelling thinks like we do but…okay, let’s talk in colors rather than smells – you’re _blue_ ,” he declared.

“ _Blue_ ,” Shikamaru repeated, raising an eyebrow in amusement.

“Work with me here!” the Inuzuka said as he reached to punch his arm. “So you’re blue—a light blue, that’s the color you’re born with, and as time goes by, the blue gets deeper, and darker,” he started to describe abstractly, waving a kunai about.

“So I’m not the same blue now as I was – say – two years ago, or that I will be in two years,” the Nara noted, nodding his understanding.

Kiba nodded back and scratched his cheek absent-mindedly. “Right. _But_ , your blue also has other specks in it, that represent the people you’re with the most – growing up, it was most likely your parents, but then it probably shifted to Ino and Chouji – and Asuma,” he further developed.

“But it doesn’t affect the blue.”

“No. Think of those as…paint splatter!”

“Paint splatter?” Shikamaru couldn’t help but repeat in amusement, getting a second punch to the arm, on the exact same spot – it was worth it though.

“Hey, don’t ask the questions if you don’t want the answers,” Kiba huffed back as he crossed his arms over his chest.

The shadow-nin immediately held his hands up in apology. “I’m sorry, please continue – it’s a really good analogy!” he insisted with a small grin.

Kiba eyed him dubiously, but eventually relented – because it _was_ a damned good analogy, he was quite proud of it himself. “Okay, so…mostly, as I said, family and close friends are like paint splatter, but…lovers can eventually leave a pretty sizeable trace – you’re not going to smell forever like every person you’ve had sex with, but when it’s a regular occurrence, something of theirs stays with you,” he finished with a self-conscious shrug.

Shikamaru surveyed him silently for a moment, trying to apply what he’d just learned to their situation – and remain abstract and factual about it. “So…if we were to continue with your analogy, and say you’re _red_ …Shikadai felt my scent was wrong because there’s no red in it?” he formulated in interest, unable not to smile slightly at the other’s amused laugh.

“Yeah, something like that!” Kiba agreed with a nod. “And your blue’s probably not as dark as he’s used to – plus smoke really covers up a lot,” he tempered.

Shikamaru nodded slowly as he once more turned his gaze to the sleeping Shikadai. “And…when you smell him? Do you…”

“Smell _blue_ and _red_?” the tracker finished knowingly with a raised eyebrow, eyes boring into his.

“Yes.”

“Dark blue, and dark red—paint splatter,” Kiba replied as he closed his eyes and breathed in through his nose.

“Is that why you believed him? Right away I mean,” Shikamaru wondered – because he had to admit that he was floored by how easily Kiba had accepted all of this.

“Scents don’t lie,” the Inuzuka reminded him pragmatically before raising a hand to scratch the back of his head sheepishly. “Also, he has this jacket that’s just like mine when I was younger, except it has the Nara crest on its back; and there was a message I’d written to him inside – I mean, ‘future’ me. I recognized my handwriting.”

Shikamaru had to admit a physical proof might’ve convinced him too.

“I asked you before but you didn’t reply – what shocked you the most? The time travel? That you had a kid? That you married a man? That it was _me_?” Kiba then wondered sharply.

“All of the above,” Shikamaru was forced to admit.

Kiba nodded at that, as though he’d expected it. “I’m only boggled about the time travel,” he informed him honestly.

The Nara’s eyes snapped back to him at this as he frowned in surprise. “Really?”

“I’ve always known I’d end up with a man – that we’re married and have a kid is the sort of life I’ve always dreamed of, so I’m actually very happy!” he disclosed honestly.

“But…with _me_?” Shikamaru had to ask – had to know.

Kiba shrugged self-consciously at that. “I’m not going to pretend I’m in love with you right now, but neither will I deny that I’ve always found you attractive – I’m actually more surprised that you’d end up with _me_!” he noted with a raised eyebrow. “I mean…I didn’t even know you liked men that way…” he added, purposefully letting the end of his sentence trail off like a question.

Shikamaru momentarily wanted to dismiss the question on the grounds that it was none of his business, but there was a young man sleeping a few feet from them who was living proof that the two of them visibly had… _something_ _good_ , he figured, for lack of a better expression, so maybe it _was_ his business. “I decided it would be less troublesome down the road if I just didn’t act on it,” he replied truthfully.

“That’s sad, but it’s up to you,” Kiba remarked with a shrug before grinning. “Besides, I guess now we know that somehow, someday, I’ll manage to change your mind!” And damn it, but he looked smugly proud of that.

“I’m sure we drive each other crazy,” Shikamaru dismissed mockingly, not wanting to linger on how comfortable he felt around Kiba – he was practically sure he only felt that way because part of him thought it was how he _ought_ to feel. But that was harder and harder to ignore when Kiba insisted on smiling at him like that and looking at… _their son_ so fondly.

Kaoru pulled them to the side right after dinner – during which he was mysteriously absent, as he’d been the whole day. “I can’t go into details, but I’ve managed to be assigned to the examination of the bodies and battlefields – the coast should be clear in a couple of days, at most,” he told them quietly before moving to place a hand on Shikadai’s shoulder. “Hang in there, alright?”

Shikadai just nodded back bravely, truly hoping it would really be just ‘a couple of days’ this time.

* * *

Having both parents working together to help him seemed to do wonders for Shikadai’s spirit, and his energy was even significantly boosted – he still looked sleepy at times, but didn’t feel that consuming urge to nap anymore. And yet unfortunately it barely lasted a day before the fatigue returned, even though he tried to fight it. His most efficient – and favorite – technique to stay awake was to talk.

“And so I’ve applied to be transferred to Kumo, which should be effective in three months!” he finished brightly. Maybe he’d broken his own resolve not to reveal more about the future, but he was desperate enough as it was and couldn’t help it anymore – besides, he figured they already knew too much anyway.

“Kumo!” Kiba repeated with a surprised huff. “It’s good to know that our relations will get better, but still…”

“It _does_ come as shock, given how things are at the moment,” Shikamaru agreed simply. “Why Kumo though?” he then wondered curiously.

Shikadai rolled his eyes and looked at Kiba pointedly. “Because the condition for not following me was that it should be a village where you have friends that you know will keep an eye on me,” he grumbled, not really as annoyed by that as he pretended to be.

“We’re awesome,” Kiba commented modestly, sharing an amused look with Shikamaru.

“Yeah yeah,” the time-traveler muttered. “You were both hoping it would be Suna, but…I mean Suna’s _your_ place – it’s where you got together, it’s where you got married…I wanted my _own_ place, you know?”

“It’s where we got together?” Kiba repeated with wide eyes as Shikamaru wondered, “It’s where we got married?”

“Well, yeah,” Shikadai replied as he looked at them and shrugged. “Not at the same time, obviously. But you were stationed there for a couple of years, and you got married during that time,” he told them, unable not to smile the slightest bit as he thought back on the picture from that day that was in their living-room.

As kids, he and Inojin had often looked through their parents’ pictures and tried to imagine what it was like to love someone like that – seriously, Inojin was the biggest self-repressed romantic he knew, and he was somewhat embarrassed to admit he’d often accompanied him as he skulked around and pretended not to care. Not that he’d ever tell them that. As if! They were taking that secret to the grave!

“Ha ha! Who knew Suna would turn out to be so romantic, huh?” Kiba chuckled cheerfully as he reached over to ruffle his hair.

Shikamaru couldn’t help but smile slightly as he looked at them. “Now that I think about it, we received a message that Kankuro would be making a quick stop through the village in a few days,” he informed them.

Kiba immediately perked up at this, not noticing their son’s frown. “Seriously? I feel like it’s been ages since I last saw him!” he mused as Akamaru barked happily.

“You can’t see him!” Shikadai said before he could help himself, looking away with a stubborn blush as he felt embarrassed about his outburst.

“Why’s that?” Kiba asked as he cocked his head to the side, imitated by his nin-dog. “Did we get into a fight at some point?”

Shikadai’s frown deepened as he burrowed his nose into his protector before mumbling, “You were with him…before dad.”

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at this while Kiba blinked in surprise. “With him… _with him_?” he clarified, frowning at his nod. “Why the heck would I tell my kid about my ex?” he wondered rhetorically, not really surprised by the news but that his son would know about it.

“You didn’t; uncle Shino did,” Shikadai replied anyway

Kiba groaned at this, resisting the urge to slap a palm over his face. “I get the feeling uncle Shino told you a lot of things he wasn’t supposed to…”

The medic grinned at this, unable to resist the urge to tease them. “He told me about sex, too!”

“You’ve got to be kidding me…” Shikamaru muttered with a deep sigh. “This is your fault!” he told Kiba plainly.

“Hey! Shino’s an awesome best friend!” the Inuzuka protested for the principle, reaching over to shove his shoulder slightly. “Okay, if you’re both going to be like that, I’ll be sure to meet up with Kankuro!” he teased them easily, definitely enjoying the way they both tensed imperceptibly.

“I will keep your shadow pinned the whole day if it kills me!” Shikadai vowed before protesting as Kiba snaked an arm around his neck and pulled him to him, realizing he’d been played again. “You’re so annoying, dad…”

“Yeah yeah, love you too,” Kiba dismissed happily as he fondly ruffled his hair, briefly looking up at Shikamaru to flash him a grin.

The Nara merely sighed in amusement as he looked at them. But later, after Shikadai had succumbed to his tiredness and they’d brought him back inside, he allowed his curiosity to resurface. “So…Kankuro…is it…I mean are the two of you already…?” he asked Kiba as he walked him back to the entrance of the Inuzuka clan grounds.

Kiba cocked his head to the side in confusion and then realized what he meant. “We’re not together, no,” he reassured him, noting how he sighed slightly in relief. “We _have_ been flirting though, so I guess it would’ve been a question of time,” he then added with a shrug, being honest because he’d never believed in hiding things or glossing them over anyway, and it wasn’t like it was anything to be ashamed of.

Shikamaru frowned, not liking it, and definitely not liking how he felt about it, because it was Kiba’s right to try and be with anyone. He was the only one who’d made the decision not to act on his feelings, but if he hadn’t, maybe he’d have been flirting with someone else too. “I see…” was all he said.

“I’m not planning on flirting with him when I see him now if that’s what you’re worried about,” the tracker tempered with a shrug.

Shikamaru chuckled despite himself at this, having to admit that was exactly it. “So you’re not in love with him,” he said as nonchalantly as he could.

Kiba’s eyes narrowed knowingly but he shook his head. “I’m _attracted_ to him, I won’t deny that. I like spending time with him – it’s nice to feel wanted; he makes me feel good about myself, you know? That’s kinda…how I’ve always figured you feel about Temari,” he then admitted as he looked at him sideways.

The Nara nodded slowly, turning to him as well. “I was never attracted to her,” he told him seriously. “But I do like spending time with her – she challenges me, in a good way, even if she drives me crazy all along,” he added with a huff.

Kiba nodded back, getting his point and smiling slightly as he rather liked finding that out. “So the coast is clear, I guess,” he mused.

“For what?” Shikamaru wondered with a raised eyebrow.

“For us to sweep each other off our feet, of course!” Kiba replied with a wide Inuzuka grin.

Shikamaru looked at him in surprise for a good two seconds before laughing at his infectious enthusiasm and shaking his head in amusement. “If you say so…” he said as he thought back on Shikadai’s words.

_He makes you laugh._

Yeah, he did…

Looking up as they reached the limits of the clan grounds, the shadow-nin turned back to him, almost but not-quite disappointed. “Take care of him. I’ll be back tomorrow,” he needlessly said.

“Looking forward to it!” Kiba replied earnestly as he gave him a mock-salute and went back towards his house.

Shikaku very mercifully pretended not to notice the happy-dreamy quality his son’s face presented and the smile dancing on his lips that entire evening – while Shikadai extended Kiba the same courtesy.

…So there _was_ a way to derive some amusement from the situation!

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I see Shikamaru as someone who would initially struggle to accept emotion over logic, and would take some time to be persuaded, but once that threshold is crossed...I think he'd give in fully with nothing held back. That's how I've always written him anyway :)  
> Kiba, of course, lives by his emotions :)  
> In my head that's why they complement each other nicely :)


	8. Chapter 7

* * *

**Chapter 7**

* * *

The very next morning, Kaoru contacted Inoichi and informed him they would be good to go by the next day, and together with Shikaku, they started planning to be in place by dawn at the latest.

Unfortunately, Shikadai’s state hadn’t improved since. If anything, his fatigue seemed to grow, to the point that his daily nap had evolved into daily _naps_. He woke up feeling resourced, but that usually only lasted a few hours, to everyone’s dismay.

“’M sorry…it seems all I ever do anymore these days is sleep,” he mumbled sleepily as he rested against Akamaru – his favorite pillow, and the nin-dog wouldn’t let any _actual_ pillow replace him.

“Don’t apologize, just take all the time you need,” Kiba playfully chastised him as he stroked his hair calmingly, masking his worry with a grin.

Shikadai sighed and looked up at him through half-lidded eyes, his fingers spread in Akamaru’s fur. “You know…I always wanted a nin-dog, like Akamaru,” he admitted. “When my fifth birthday rolled around and I realized that wouldn’t happen, I cried harder than I ever had before – or since.”

Kiba paused for a second at this, frowning as he listened intently.

“That’s when I really realized that there were _clans_ , and I wasn’t part of _yours_. That I wasn’t like you, grandma, aunt Hana, or my cousins. At the academy it was made further clear – I was a _Nara_ , not an Inuzuka. But I hate the Nara clan,” he continued sleepily.

“Don’t say that,” Kiba said gently, eyes darting to the side where he knew Shikamaru had stopped at the door.

“It’s true!” Shikadai insisted. “The Inuzuka are a real clan, a family, and they’ve always treated dad and me like part of it even though we don’t carry their name. The Nara on the other hand are a clan _only_ in name and secret techniques, and think of themselves as overly important just because they’ve spawned a few renowned ‘geniuses’!”

“Well, you and your father and your grandfather still turned out okay, so they’re not all that bad!” Kiba once more tempered, playfully ruffling his hair slightly, frowning as the other could only manage a half-minded hand-swat to make him stop.

“I hate them. They look down on you, and they only started paying attention to me when it became obvious I had potential,” the medic continued. “When I’ll get married – _if_ I’ll get married – it’ll be _into_ another clan!”

Kiba hummed as he couldn’t really keep on defending them when he saw his point. “I’m sure I’ve told you not to worry about me! I don’t really care what people think of me – only my loved ones’ opinion matters!” he told him brightly.

Shikadai smiled at this. “Yeah, you said that…repeatedly. But still…if you could remember just one thing about all of this, I wish it was that dad should marry into the Inuzuka clan, not the other way around!” he finished tiredly.

“I plan on remembering everything about you!” Kiba replied with a frown, stroking his hair until he saw him fall asleep. When he heard his soft breathing, he let out a deep sigh.

How was he supposed to do this? It felt…it felt like he was watching his son die—before he’d even watched him _live_! He reached to stroke Akamaru’s head as well and nodded at him before standing up and making his way outside, only stopping to shrug shoes on.

The first November snows had turned heavier, and it was slightly chilly, but it felt vivifying. He heard footsteps behind him but didn’t turn as he already knew who it was. His eyes widened slightly and he smiled warmly at him however when he felt something being dropped on his shoulders and found it to be his jacket. “Thanks,” was all he said as he shrugged it on, pulling the hood over his head. “I guess you heard,” he stated more than asked after a short moment.

Shikamaru nodded, holding his gaze for a moment before frowning slightly. “You know…truth be told, I’m not so crazy about my clan either,” he admitted quietly, surprising the other. “He’s right; we’re more like a group sharing techniques – here, I’ve seen you having bright discussions and whatnot with people like they were family only to be told you’d just seen them around. And…even as things stand now, I know I’d be way more easily integrated and welcome in your clan than you in mine, so…I can’t imagine why we decided to do it that way,” he wondered.

Kiba hummed as he thought about it, looking up at the falling snow. “Maybe we flipped a coin? I’d love to teach my techniques to my kid, I’m sure you would too!”

“Not particularly,” Shikamaru insisted. “Perhaps in ten years I’ll feel differently, but right now, honestly, I’d more or less resigned myself to never having a family and not teaching the shadow techniques to _any_ kid, and I’m _fine_ with that, _really_ ,” he told him matter-of-factly.

Kiba nodded, surprised but believing him, and twisted his mouth as he tried to find another reason. “So…maybe your family strong-armed you? As future head of the clan?”

“A position I have _zero interest_ in,” Shikamaru assured him with a huff. “I want to become the Hokage’s advisor – becoming head of a clan I don’t even feel close to is the last on my list of priorities! And while emotional black-mail would be right up my mother’s alley, my father wouldn’t let me walk down a path I didn’t want.” He knew that much, at least, now more than ever.

“Maybe he won’t be around anymore,” Kiba replied automatically with a shrug, snapping his mouth closed as he realized what he’d just said. “Sorry, I shouldn’t say things like that.”

Shikamaru shook his head, waving a hand to reassure him he wasn’t offended, but he got him thinking.

Say his father had died…and say he’d died _before_ he’d gotten together with Kiba, or at very least before they’d talked about marriage…then yeah, maybe he would have felt emotionally obligated to perpetuate his teachings, in his memory.

“That would make me the most selfish husband in history,” he muttered before he could help himself, rubbing the back of his neck tiredly.

Kiba raised an eyebrow and reached to gently slap his arm. “Wow, we’re not even married yet and you’re already calling yourself a horrible husband?” he teased him easily.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes playfully and wrapped his scarf tighter around his neck. “I said ‘selfish’, not ‘horrible’,” he corrected for the principle. “Why would you agree?” he then wondered, not really expecting an answer.

“Probably because I love you,” Kiba replied matter-of-factly with a shrug, making himself keep on talking because he visibly didn’t have a filter and that declaration was more than they were ready for right now, when it really came down to it. “Apparently, I have an awesome job I’m amazing at, and I still taught Shikadai a few things like scents and taijutsu – details like names aren’t worth lingering on!” he finished with certainty.

“You also taught him shogi,” Shikamaru couldn’t help but tell him with a warm grin.

“ _I_ taught him shogi? I can barely name the pieces!” the Inuzuka noted dubiously.

“He told me we all played together, with the two of you against me; and you pretended not to know the rules so he’d correct you and play on his own,” the Nara explained.

“Ooh, _now_ I buy it! Pretty sleek, if I may say so myself!” Kiba commented happily. “But then again I think it’s safe to say that you probably taught me the real rules somewhere along the way!” he then added with a wink.

Shikamaru just smiled back at him, feeling relaxed as he’d forgotten how easy it was to talk to Kiba. And now, with the added knowledge of what their future had in store…it was impossible not to see him in an entirely new light – a light he rather enjoyed, to be perfectly honest. And maybe that was why he did what he did.

Because of the snow, they were already standing close enough that he didn’t need to take another step, and his eyes dropped to his lips for a second before his body simply leaned in.

A hand on his chest stopped him barely a breath away though.

“Don’t,” Kiba said with a small frown, not opposed to it but not entirely willing either. “If you’re doing it because you _want_ to, then go ahead. But if you’re only following what you think _will_ happen, then don’t,” he told him quietly but firmly, holding his gaze.

Shikamaru felt like he really, _really_ , wanted to kiss him.

But Kiba was right: was it really because he _wanted_ to, or only because he wanted what he now knew they’d have _one day_? “I’m sorry,” he said with a sigh as he leaned back. He was a prized catch, wasn’t he? At this rate, he’d be lucky if Kiba ever looked at him!

Kiba shook his head and gently knocked on his chest with his hand and let it trail down as he stepped around him and back towards the house. “You’re not the only one who’s been thinking about it,” he told him simply before walking back in.

Shikamaru stood at the same spot for a few extra seconds before smirking lazily and following him back to their son.

 _One day_.

* * *

Shikaku hadn’t said anything when Shikamaru exhibited all the signs of a young man falling in love (and realizing it), but keeping quiet when he started to harbor that unhappy (borderline annoyed – at _himself_ , he knew) expression and sighing resolutely was a different business altogether. He knew asking him about it directly would only push him back into his shell, so he was less straightforward about it – and just offered to play some shogi after dinner.

For a moment, it worked, and Shikamaru was seriously taken with the game and designing the most optimal strategy. “I really enjoy being able to play together like this,” Shikaku found himself saying with a satisfied sigh.

Shikamaru looked up at him and smirked slightly, resting his elbow on his knee and his face in his palm. “Getting sentimental, old man?” he teased easily.

Now that had the older Nara laughing, because he’d heard those very words just a few days ago. “Shikadai said the same thing to me when I played against him at the office last week!” he mused. “Like father, like son, eh?” he teased right back.

Shikamaru’s face flushed but he resolutely did not look away. “Is he good?” he wondered casually.

“Not as invested at you – he was mostly doing it for me,” Shikaku replied truthfully with a shrug. “He told me about how the three of you used to play together though,” he then added with a grin as he thought back on it – and on his grandson’s smile as he’d said it.

Shikamaru chuckled and for a moment the smile on his face was the same that he’d been parading absently for some time before his recent behavior change. But then something visibly triggered another response and the smile fell as he took on a more serious expression, letting out another sigh as he reached to move a piece on the board.

“I tried to kiss Kiba,” he said in a quiet voice after a moment, resolutely not looking up from the game.

Shikaku blinked twice in surprise, raising an eyebrow at him – although he’d already figured that Kiba was likely behind both the smiles and lack thereof. “ _Tried_?” he repeated instead, asking for more information.

“He stopped me,” the shadow-nin replied with a shrug. “He said that…if I really wanted to, then it was okay, but that if I was just aiming for what I thought we’d have one day, then I shouldn’t.”

Part of him felt mortified to discuss this with his father, yet at the same time, strangely, he felt happier than he could understand – to be actually discussing his feelings for another man with him was a notion he’d never even allowed himself to entertain before.

Hearing this just further increased Shikaku’s approval of the Inuzuka. “And?” he asked levelly, not interrupting their game as he moved a piece. “How _do_ you feel?”

“Like an idiot,” Shikamaru replied matter-of-factly. “Liking Kiba, when you really know him, that’s inevitable. But being in love with him? I honestly can’t say that I’d thought about it before…”

“Falling in love can take many shapes,” Shikaku tempered neutrally. “It’s not always about love at first sight – more often than not, it’s about realizing that someone you already know means more to you than you originally thought.”

It had been like that with Yoshino after all. They’d known each other, through the academy and work, for many years before one afternoon, as she’d praised his skill at something-or-other as ‘not so bad’, he’d realized he was completely head-over-heels about that smirk of hers, and that he’d do anything to keep it directed at him only.

“I know that,” Shikamaru muttered with a stubborn blush, letting out a sigh for good measure. “But now he probably thinks I’m only after an _idea_ of what we could be – without really caring about _him_.”

“Kiba’s a lot sharper than many people seem to think,” Shikaku needlessly reminded him with a raised eyebrow. “And worrying about _why_ you’d want to be with him is proof that he genuinely cares, don’t you think?”

“Huh?” Shikamaru said eloquently as he finally looked up at him with a frown.

Shikaku chuckled at this, reaching to flick his finger at his forehead. “He said that if you _want_ to kiss him it’s okay, right?” he asked, grin widening at his slow uncomfortable nod.

“So…?” the younger Nara asked back as he absently massaged his poor abused forehead.

“ _So,_ that implies he wants it too,” was the patriarch’s simple reply as he pat his shoulder before looking down at the board and making a move. “You’d better yield.”

Shikamaru frowned as he followed his gaze and huffed – but it was obvious his thoughts weren’t revolving around shogi at all, really.

Then again, perhaps Shikaku wasn’t really talking about shogi, either…

* * *

The next day, they gathered at the Nara house shortly before dawn. Yoshino had raised an eyebrow at seeing the small gathering – and sent a suspicious look at the nin-dog – but was eventually persuaded by her husband it was work-related and nothing to concern herself with – so she promptly went back to bed like civilized people ought to.

Kaoru was surprisingly calm, despite his part taking quite a bit of preparation – after all, he was tasked with manipulating and freezing Hidan’s chakra to keep him from using his techniques on them, and they really couldn’t afford sloppy planning. It was a technique passed down in the Itoda clan, one of their prized secrets; it allowed them to manipulate their target’s chakra to make it blend in with theirs – naturally, this served them well when healing, but in a fight, it could render an opponent useless if successfully used.

“Basically, this is what we’ll do,” Shikaku started as he laid down a map in front of them, at the center of which was Hidan’s grave. “After Kaoru will have given the greenlight, Kiba and Akamaru will locate all the pieces of Hidan’s body – his head and his hands being the most important, so we can be sure to keep him from using any techniques on us. Once that’s done, and following their directions, Shikamaru and I will use our shadows to secure said parts before the grave can be undug. After that it’s up to Inoichi,” he finished as he nodded towards his friend.

“I can help with the shadows too!” Shikadai insisted weakly from his spot leaning against Akamaru. He was wearing his own jacket once more, and clearly looked more at ease in it – it had been washed of mud, of course.

The others exchanged worried looks at his proposal and sighed.

“That’s not a good idea – for your own safety,” Shikamaru started gently as he moved to place a hand on his shoulder.

“You’re getting worse, aren’t you…?” Inoichi asked needlessly with a frown. “It’s only a theory, but…I think that your strength is waning with Hidan’s.  It’s good we didn’t have to wait much longer – if whatever Hidan did will be dispelled by his death, it’s too risky for you,” he admitted honestly.

“Wait a sec – that freak can’t have survived 27 years in that hole!” Kiba cut in, confused. “So then how did he send Shikadai back?”

“There are some jutsu that can be activated after the user’s death – the price to pay is usually the user’s _life_ , actually,” Shikaku explained. “If I had to venture a guess, I would say that Hidan decided to use his life to perform this final jutsu rather than wait it out, in hopes that by traveling back before it happened, someone could somehow change his past,” he said thoughtfully.

“He probably thought Kakuzu would wipe the floor with us and come back looking for him,” Shikamaru added as he thought about the blood-chilling duo. But Kakuzu wasn’t going to save anyone anytime soon, they’d seen to that. And since no one usually goes there, it took 27 years for the curse to activate – and it had to happen to his son, of all people…

If only he’d done a better job of killing him when he was supposed to.

“Stop blaming yourself,” Shikadai and Kiba said at the exact same time before he could continue down that particular train of thoughts.

There was silence for a second as he looked at them in surprise and they looked at each other smugly. They all laughed at this, and somehow it did wonders for the atmosphere.

After that, it wasn’t look before they took their leave – and it did seem ominous, an Anbu, the Jounin Commander, another Jounin, two Chuunins, a nin-dog and a time-travelling Tokubetsu Jounin going on a mission together.

They could only hope the result would be a good one.

* * *

 

The walk to Hidan’s gravesite wasn’t long, but it was apprehensive. Shikamaru led the way, with the others following closely, Kiba making sure Shikadai didn’t lose his balance on Akamaru’s back. “We’re here,” he said as he stopped just short of the clearing.

Kaoru stepped forward, quickly sweeping the area with his gaze before turning to his son expectantly.

“I don’t smell decomposition yet, he’s still alive,” Kiba replied promptly, backed by Inoichi.

“I can still sense chakra – _living_ chakra, not residual,” the sensor confirmed, meaning the immortal likely didn’t cast that jutsu in exchange for his life yet.

The Anbu nodded and opened up the scroll he’d picked up from his pocket before quickly stepping around the earthen mound, creating a perimeter before sitting down on top of another seal and joining his hands together. “Okay, I should be able to control any jutsu he casts within this limit, but I can’t hold it forever, so get to it,” he told them seriously.

Kiba nodded back, concentrating on his nose and frowning as even if the body wasn’t decomposing yet, it sure didn’t smell like a bunch of roses. Reaching for his holster, he threw a kunai to the ground. “The head’s about 120 centimeters below the surface at that point. Can’t be 100% sure about the hands, but these,” he continued as he threw several other kunai, “are the biggest chunks.”

“Let’s start with what we’ve got then,” Shikaku noted as he knelt and concentrated. “Shikamaru, you handle the head; I’ll grab the rest – Kiba, guide me,” he instructed easily.

The next few moments were tense as Shikadai remained by Inoichi’s side and watched them carefully close their trap on Hidan. Once the two Nara confirmed they were ready, Inoichi used a simple doton jutsu to turn the ground upside down, and with it bring the pieces of Hidan’s body they’d grabbed back to the surface.

The immortal’s face still held that skeletal look, although his cheeks looked more hollowed, and Shikamaru realized that if he’d been holding his jutsu since the other day, it was no wonder he was dying – more than that, if Inoichi was right and Hidan was somehow ‘fueling’ Shikadai’s presence, it was no wonder that it had been affecting him so quickly as well.

Hidan’s eyes opened slowly and a grin formed on his face as he tried to laugh – but only managed to wheeze out pathetic broken sounds before Shikamaru moved to wrap a shadow hand around his mouth. He really did his best not to let it show how much having those crazy eyes fixed on him made him uncomfortable.

Noticing something twitching in the recently turned earth, Kiba swiftly moved to pin down Hidan’s other hand – Shikaku was already holding the first firmly and didn’t waste any time reaching for that one as well. “Dad?” he called with a frown.

Kaoru nodded slowly, moving his gaze towards the Yamanaka. “I’ve got his chakra under control, Inoichi, you can go ahead,” he said evenly.

The sensor nodded back at him and moved to place a hand on the severed head, the optimist in him rejoicing over the amount of information on Akatsuki he could glean from this. And indeed as soon as he touched him, images poured through his brain, as though Hidan was trying to suffocate him – but he knew how to handle himself in other people’s minds, this wasn’t his first mission.

The game of endurance could begin.

* * *

 


	9. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are, final chapter - I hope you'll enjoy it :)  
> I know I've loved writing and sharing this story!! :)  
> Thank you so much for your support along the way!

* * *

**Chapter 8**

* * *

Inoichi knew his way around other people’s minds, but even he could be stalled by powerful shinobi. And there was no denying that for all his quirks and uniqueness, Hidan had quite the strength of character. The initial search took longer than they’d anticipated, leaving the Yamanaka frowning in concentration as he kept himself focused.

He quickly found out about the sealing ceremony that had taken place shortly after Asuma’s death – likely the reason they hadn’t seen the duo about after that. Come to think of it, it also explained why Shikadai had grown weaker during that time even though Hidan was still alive and well – his chakra resources had been severely depleted. Thinking about that made him get back on track.

“He’s never used it before, obviously,” he spoke quietly as he kept going further back in Hidan’s life.

“Look for his time spent with Jashin’s cult,” Kaoru encouraged. “It’s likely where he learned of it.”

Inoichi nodded to show he’d heard him and concentrated on that period of time – and suddenly there it was, but blink-and-you’ll-miss-it there. “Yes…a jutsu to connect a space with a different time…he found it in a scroll the cult’s leader kept hidden,” he said slowly as he tried to find out more – but right as he did, Hidan started coughing up blood and pushing him back more violently.

At the same time, the dark markings that signified that his immortality jutsu was activated disappeared.

“Kaoru! What the hell’s going on?” Shikaku asked with a frown.

“I thought he couldn’t cast any jutsus while you had him!” Kiba continued as he stepped in front of Shikadai.

“He didn’t cast anything, he dispelled what was already in place!” the Anbu replied with a snarl as he tried to reverse the damage.

Shikamaru had had no choice but to remove the shadow hand blocking their captive’s mouth as he started choking on his own blood, but he really regretted that when the wide eyes turned to Shikadai and a flash of recognition burned in them – _he knew_.

“You feel different – this isn’t the right time for you, is it? So that jutsu would’ve worked, huh?” Hidan rasped with glee as he took him in. “Well tough luck, heathen, you’ll never get back! And when I’m gone, it won’t be long until it’s your turn!” he goaded, and it was unsettling to watch a head make taunts at them like that – nerve-wracking, really. A fit of hacking coughs, more blood – so much blood, and Shikamaru briefly wondered where it came from, since that neck was no longer attached to a torso – and then Hidan’s eyes rolled back into his head.

“Dead,” Inoichi confirmed as he’d kept reading his memories until the end.

“Did you get the way to cast that jutsu?” Shikaku asked his friend as he let go of the various body part’s he’d been holding down with his shadow.

Inoichi held his look and sighed. “Yes – but there’s a ‘but’.”

“Isn’t there always?” Kaoru muttered as he released the sealing jutsu he’d been maintaining and stood to walk to them, looking down at the twisted immortal. “We should really burn the body…”

“Shikadai!”

The anguished call made their heads snap back towards their children, and they rushed over as they saw Shikadai trembling on the ground.

“Not that quickly…” Shikaku cursed as he looked at him.

Kaoru immediately tried to use medical ninjutsu to help him, but this wasn’t a clear-cut case where there was a wound to heal. Shikadai had lost the source of chakra that sustained him; there was nothing he could do to heal _that_. As his gaze switched from the pained expression of Shikadai’s face to Kiba’s almost terrified one, he closed his eyes and sighed as he thought about it. There was really no way around it, was there?

“Inoichi, teach me the jutsu,” he asked the sensor.

The Yamanaka’s frown deepened as he turned to him, shaking his head. “Kaoru, the price—”

“I know,” the Anbu interrupted him, holding his look and then also turning towards Shikaku. “I understand. No one knows how I died – maybe that’s because you couldn’t _say_ ,” he reasoned.

Inoichi wasn’t convinced. “No, but surely there must be another way!” he insisted.

“It costs the user’s life, Inoichi – what do you propose, possessing someone else and making them do it?” Kaoru asked him with a raised eyebrow.

“You will _die_ , Kaoru,” the Yamanaka spelled out. “And we’re not even sure it would work!”

Kiba’s head snapped up at this, and he shared a worried glance with Shikamaru before turning to his father. “Dad, what’s going on?”

“I want to use that jutsu to get him back to his own time before it’s too late,” Kaoru replied simply.

“At the cost of his own life,” Shikaku added because he didn’t put it above the other man to try and keep that detail a secret from his son.

“What? Dad, that’s ridiculous – even for you!” Kiba exclaimed with a frown.

Shikamaru nodded next to him. “There has to be another way we can figure out now that we truly know the cause,” he added pragmatically.

“Look at him!” the Anbu said clearly as he motioned to Shikadai. “ _He doesn’t have time for us to look for alternatives_ ,” he stressed.

There was silence for a tense moment following this, because no one could actively disagree with him on that particular point.

“Kaoru…Grandpa…” Shikadai said weakly as he looked up at him. “Don’t want you to…” he rasped out resolutely.

“Oh, pup…” Kaoru said fondly as he reached to stroke his hair. “When you’ll have your own kids, you can be the one in charge – but until then, it’s on us!”

Kiba’s hand moved to grab his before he could pull it back, and he leaned forward to meet his eyes. “Dad, _don’t do this_.”

“I wasn’t there for my kids much, but perhaps my destiny was to be there for my grandson all along,” Kaoru reasoned as he moved his other hand to his head and tapped their foreheads together. “Take care of your mother and sister for me, okay?” No sooner had that question passed his lips that he had an armful of Kiba – and Akamaru – to contend with. As his gaze met Shikamaru’s over Kiba’s shoulder, he raised an eyebrow at him. “You take care of them, you hear me, Shikamaru?”

“I will…I promise,” the Nara assured him, not really sure what else to tell him – was it appropriate to thank him? He didn’t think so. No words could possibly be appropriate for such a sacrifice.

Inoichi still seemed reluctant, but Shikaku eventually sighed as he looked between the two.

“It’s his decision,” he said resolutely.

Inoichi looked down and then looked back into the Anbu’s eyes, and he could hear him as clearly as if he’d spoken to him.

_You’d do the same for your grandkid._

Yes…he would. From what he’d seen of Shikadai’s memories, Inojin seemed amazing, and he would give his life for him in a second, without any hesitation, just like Kaoru wanted to do it for Shikadai.

Wordlessly, he reached to place his palm on his forehead, and closed his eyes to communicate the information to him, eyes snapping open as the other shinobi used this opportunity to pass him another message. With a frown, he nodded back at him.

Knowing what he had to do, Kaoru tapped on Kiba’s shoulder and gently pushed him back. “Hey, at least that way we get to say goodbye,” he reasoned with a grin.

Kiba snorted in amusement, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. “Sure, whatever you say, dad…” he replied before turning to Shikadai, helping him up carefully. “Those eleven years until I can have you back are going to feel like an eternity!” he huffed fondly.

Shikadai shook his head at this, looking between his parents. “Not worried about…the two of you!” he assured him with a weak grin, letting him pull him back against him one last time. He then met Shikamaru’s gaze and almost chuckled in surprise when he too wrapped his arms around him. However as he felt his legs almost give way beneath him, Kaoru shook his head.

“If we’re going to do this, we have to do it now.”

Shikaku nodded and held his hand out to him. “It’s been an honor, Kaoru,” he said seriously as he held his look, nodding a second time – and Kaoru felt reassured, as that likely meant Inojin had conveyed his message to him as well and he agreed. The Nara then moved to say goodbye to his grandson, eyes softening considerably. “Thank you, Shikadai.”

“I didn’t…do anything,” Shikadai assured him with a confused frown.

“You did more than you’ll ever know,” the Nara patriarch assured him as he squeezed his shoulder.

The time-traveler wavered for a second, and Kaoru held out his hand to him. “Quickly now – I won’t be too late because of drawn-out farewells!” he joked with a strained expression, not wasting any time when his grandson finally stepped next to him.

Following the instructions contained in the memories Inoichi had transferred to him, he formed the opposite seals to reverse the sense this portal would open up to. He knew it was working right away, because how could he not feel something leeching off his life? But he held on fast, and once he felt the moment was right, giving a slight push to Shikadai’s shoulder to make step forward and through the center of the jutsu wasn’t difficult – yet it was actually the hardest thing he’d ever done, but he’d take that secret to the grave, he thought with an amused smile.

It was his last.

“Dad!” Kiba called worriedly as he hurried to grab his body as it fell to the ground. He couldn’t see Shikadai, and he couldn’t even smell him anymore, so he believed it had worked – he had to believe it. “You did good, dad…” he muttered as he tightened his arms around him. What was he supposed to tell his mother and sister, now?

Shikamaru kneeled next to him to place a hand on his shoulder, but didn’t say anything.

Behind them, Shikaku and Inoichi exchanged glances and nodded before the Nara concentrated and used all his strength to bind the two young men and the nin-dog.

“Dad! What’re you doing?” Shikamaru exclaimed with a frown as he tried to break free.

“It’s for your own good, and Shikadai’s,” Shikaku replied seriously. It was also Kaoru’s last request.

“Don’t you dare touch my memories,” Kiba snarled with a growl as he understood what they intended to do, mirrored by his nin-dog. “My father—”

“Asked for this,” Inoichi interrupted him gently as he kneeled in front of them and placed his hands on their heads.

 _Don’t let them remember. Let them live their lives free of the burden of knowing the future – it’s so much fun to find things out on your own!_ – they heard Kaoru’s voice say.

“Selfish until the end…” Kiba muttered in a defeated voice as he tried to keep his eyes dry. But then he remembered what he’d told Shikadai.

_If that’s what it takes, once you’re back in your own time I’ll even have Inoichi erase you from my memory so I can act natural around Shikamaru again._

Yeah, he’d been half-joking but…what if it was necessary? Now more than ever, precisely _because_ of what his father had just done for them? Could they really enter a relationship now, thinking they _owed it to him_ to make it work? Would such a relationship ever be _real_ in the first place?

“Okay,” Kiba finally said quietly, upon which Akamaru relaxed because he trusted his master implicitly. Turning his eyes to Shikamaru – actually, he could turn his whole head, he supposed he had Shikaku to thank for that – he tried to smile reassuringly at him. “Let’s face it: gotta admit we would’ve never been able to make it real with that kind of pressure over our heads!”

Shikamaru frowned as he looked at him, knowing he was right, but hating it so much. “Dad, let go – I’m not going to fight back, I promise,” he said instead. His father must’ve believed him because his shadow receded, and as soon as he felt once more free of his movements, Shikamaru moved his hands to grab Kiba’s face and pull him in a kiss, audience be damned. “I really wanted to,” he admitted unnecessarily.

“I know. I really wanted you to,” Kiba replied smartly.

“Stay away from Kankuro,” the shadow-nin muttered against his lips.

Kiba chuckled at this as he nuzzled his cheek. “See you in three years, you worrywart!” he said back before closing his eyes as he kept one of his hands solidly squeezed in his.

Then Inoichi once more placed his palms on their heads, and that was it.

* * *

Shikadai gasped as he fell down to his knees, expecting freshly upturned earth to greet him but instead finding grass covered by a thin layer of snow. Black spots briefly appeared at the corners of his vision, and when a cold snout pressed to his cheek he almost jumped back before recognizing Akamaru’s scent – _his_ Akamaru, he could tell.

Eyes widening, he wrapped his arms around the nin-dog, probably almost bruising, but he was in no shape to hold back. “I’m back…” he whispered in relief. “It worked – I’m back…”

The nin-dog stepped back from him for a moment and moved to one of the nearby trees before he started digging. Shortly, he reached into his newly dug hole and came back to the shinobi with a scroll in his jaw.

Shikadai took it with a surprised frown, bringing it to his nose as he smelled an additional scent – one that didn’t belong _here and now_ – one that he thought he’d be leaving behind forever. Raising his head slightly, he tried to get his eyes to focus better on the scroll. “It’s sealed by a chakra-recognition jutsu,” he mumbled to himself. It could only be opened and read by the person whose chakra corresponded to the seal – like a personal key. And this one was tailored to him.

Looking back at the nin-dog to hear him bark encouragingly, he closed his eyes and concentrated on letting his chakra flow through the jutsu, letting out a small breath as he was successful. The moon was rising in the sky, so he didn’t have a lot of light, but he made do, and his eyes widened as he watched the signature and saw who it was from.

_Shikaku Nara_

Sitting up straighter, he pat around his jacket for the pocket-lamp he usually kept there, and breathed out in relief when he found it – in working condition!

_Dear Shikadai,_

_If you’re reading this, then you’re safely back. More than that, if Akamaru brought you this message, then it means I couldn’t be here to tell you this in person despite the warnings you gave us. Please don’t ever think that this is your fault or that you could have done more – as I’m writing this, Inoichi and I have already taken a number of precautions to change many details to our affectation in the Shinobi Alliance._

_I can’t say for sure if the future has progressed the way it should always have, and I don’t know if you will ever find out for sure, but I like to believe that it all happened for a reason, as it was meant to._

_That Shikamaru survived his fight against Hidan because you were always there to save him._

_And that Kaoru was able to find purpose in his fatherhood by helping you back home._

_I know you must want to run to your parents to ensure they are still there, so I will keep this letter short._

_Right after you left, Inoichi removed you from Kiba and Shikamaru’s memories._

Shikadai’s eyes widened slightly as he reread the words several times. “They forgot,” he murmured, the words feeling painful and foreign. “They forgot about me.”

_Kaoru first suggested it, but Kiba and Shikamaru agreed it would be for the best._

_Making their relationship work with the added pressure of honoring Kaoru’s sacrifice and ensuring you’d be born at the right time would’ve been too much for anyone_. _Apart from us, only Akamaru has kept the memories of the week you spent with us 27 years ago – hey, we had to make sure someone_ _was looking out for you, right?_

Shikadai raised an eyebrow as he turned to the nin-dog dubiously. “You _remembered_ and you still let me travel back in time?”

Akamaru whined slightly, resting his head on his paws guiltily.

It was impossible to remain annoyed at him, really. “Don’t worry, I get it. If you hadn’t, there’d be two of me here right now,” he reasoned. And since that wasn’t the case, that proved they were right: his traveling back in time was actually _set_ in time.

Akamaru licked his cheek reassuringly and it helped – a little. He realized it must’ve been torture for him, to let him go back. “Did you at least drop me some hints?” he asked with a fake frown, chuckling once more at the whine he received in response before returning to Shikaku’s letter.

_Whether or not you tell your parents about what truly transpired is entirely up to you. Covering up Kaoru’s passing as a mission casualty has always weighed heavily on mine and Inoichi’s conscience, so I would be happy if Kiba learned the truth. Yet at the same time, I’m all too aware of how painful this could be._

Shikadai frowned as he thought about it – tried to think about it objectively. He’d love to be able to talk with them about that week, to laugh about it now that he was safe – and talk about Kaoru. Shikaku was right, if only for Kaoru’s sake…but he was also right when he said it would be painful. His parents might even end up thinking that nothing had been _real_ in their lives.

“It would be purely selfish to tell them, right?” he asked Akamaru rhetorically, smiling slightly when the nin-dog nodded and moved to rub his head against his shoulder.

_For my part, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to accurately express how much it has meant to me, meeting you. Words cannot describe the pride I’ve felt watching you, knowing you. The knowledge that you’re going back to what I know has always been a life of happiness is the only thing making this whole ordeal any easier._

_And even if Shikamaru as I know him has forgotten about having such a wonderful son, I can assure you that I’ve had a long conversation with him during which I’ve made it absolutely certain he understood without the shadow of a doubt that I will always support him, no matter the gender of the person he chooses to marry. (I think you would’ve enjoyed this talk!)_

“Enjoyed it? I would’ve killed to witness it!” Shikadai said through a chuckle, keeping his eyes as dry as he could.

_All that’s left for me to do now is wish a peaceful future for you, and ask you—_

“ _Do you feel strong enough to stand and walk_?” Shikadai read out loud. At Akamaru’s nod, he carefully leaned on him to help himself up, and after a few deep breaths, he was able to step forward on his own. He still felt like sleeping the next week away, but his strength was definitely returning. Lowering his eyes back to the scroll, he read the last few lines.

_You’re back, so do the things you told me you wished you’d done more: tell Kiba you love his stupid grin (your words, not mine), and play shogi with Shikamaru more often, since you know how happy it makes them. Do this for your grandfathers, if you need a reason._

_But most importantly, if you must do only one thing in your life, then please do this—_

Shikadai looked up as he forced himself to calm down and grabbed the folds of his jacket to wipe his eyes before it could officially be said that he was crying. “Let’s go home, Akamaru,” he told the nin-dog with a grin as he carefully put the scroll away in his side pockets.

Akamaru barked back and promptly trotted away, staying close to make sure he’d be alright. They’d had to pause a couple of times, but they made it. The Nara grounds hadn’t changed, and Maen’s pond still smelled moldy – how sad was it really that a moldy pond was so reassuring?

When his childhood home came into view, Shikadai slowly exhaled before walking in, and then he just had to close his eyes to bask – there was no other word – in painfully familiar smells as _finally_ , things smelled like they should.

“Hey we almost thought you weren’t interested in dinner today!” a playful voice called back from kitchen, making him freeze.

Akamaru encouragingly nudged his back, and he nodded to himself a couple of times before walking in that direction, finding both his parents in the kitchen, looking just the same as when he’d left them little over a week ago – and yet strangely so, looking just the same as when he’d left them less than an hour ago.

He tried to stay strong – really, he did.

But he figured he’d been strong enough this past week and he was only freaking (almost) 16 so he was due some serious slack starting _right now_.

In any other circumstances, he’d have been proud of himself for effectively shocking Kiba into silence. Not that he could really blame him though, after all the last time he’d been the one to initiate a hug, he’d been under the age of 10 years old.

“Dad?” his voice called out, muffled against his collar. That smell…it was the right one, _finally._

“Yeah?” Kiba called back, sharing a look with his husband as he gently pat their son’s back.

“I love your stupid grin,” Shikadai declared happily.

Shikamaru almost choked on his own breath at that declaration, and Kiba visibly wondered where that came from. “I’m…glad you do? I guess…” he replied tentatively as he fondly ran a hand through his hair.

“It’s a compliment,” Shikadai assured him before reaching to grab Shikamaru’s sleeve with a hand, closing his eyes peacefully as he breathed in his scent too. “Dad?”

“Yeah?” Shikamaru replied with a raised eyebrow, wondering what he’d be treated to.

“Want to play shogi after dinner?”

Kiba frowned at this, once more turning to Shikamaru.

Shikadai? Offering to play shogi of his own volition? Without complaining about how annoying it was?

He was half-tempted to ask that affectionate Shikadai look-alike who he was and what he’d done with their son, but his scent was…well it was _him_ , undoubtedly, even if there was something else he couldn’t quite place.

“Sure,” Shikamaru replied after he’d gotten over his initial surprise. “Don’t expect me to go easy on you just because you’re rusty though!” he added with a fond smirk as he moved his other hand to ruffle his hair.

Shikadai’s smile widened and he tightened his hold on Kiba, not exactly feeling able to pull back yet – because yeah…his control over his tear ducts wasn’t so good anymore, and he didn’t want to freak them out _even more_. But he felt safe…so safe…

He was home. Ready to live his life to the fullest, in memory of some amazing shinobi he’d had the privilege of spending a week with when it shouldn’t have been possible.

Starting tomorrow.

Today, he’d allow himself to feel some sadness – and then he’d move on, to keep that promise written in the scroll he could still feel against his left leg.

_But most importantly, if you must do only one thing in your life, then please do this—_

_Be happy._

* * *

**The End**

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel bad for Kaoru, but I have to admit as soon as I thought about time-travel, I realized I wanted to use that to explain his death.


End file.
